Under the Flags, the Sun

For 35 years, Gen. Don Alfredo Stroessner led the land-locked Latin American nation of Paraguay, heading up one of the planet’s longest-lasting authoritarian dictatorships, holding power from 1954 until his ouster by a supposedly trusted political colleague in 1989. Like many comparable autocrats of his day, he built and oversaw a carefully crafted cult of personality characterized by unrelenting right-wing policies and ideology and backed by a solid core of staunch religionist, anti-Communist, anti-trade union followers in his all-powerful Colorado Party (the dominant political organization still in charge in Paraguay to this day). And, while in power, he faithfully conformed to the mold of many of his despotic peers, systematically marginalizing, torturing or exiling minorities and opponents (usually without trials), striking up alliances with the likes of Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet, and even providing sanctuary to heinous war criminals, such as former Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele, all the while engaging in unapologetically insincere acts of self-glorification. Surprisingly, however, the Stroessner regime is one that many outside of Paraguay know little about, a result due in large part to a lack of documentation of his abuses during his years in charge. And that fact in itself is what has made the production of this documentary something of a miracle, given that the bulk of its content has been drawn almost exclusively from what little archive footage of that period still remains, culled from sources far and wide all over the globe. Writer-director Juanjo Pereira is to be highly commended for sourcing the scarce materials still available that have been used in compiling this film. However, with that said, there are times when Stroessner’s story feels somewhat lacking in detail, particularly early on in the film. Yes, it’s obvious that the Paraguayan dictator followed in the footsteps of many political oligarchs of the era, and his scurrilous actions while in office likely come as little surprise to many observers, at least when examined superficially. However, throughout much of this documentary, the many allusions to his reprehensible deeds often go without substantive elaboration until well on into the film. In light of that, then, this production would have benefitted tremendously from the inclusion of a more explicit back story about Stroessner, his exploits and how he successfully managed to fly below the radar for so long. Interviews with experts providing perspective about this release’s subject would have no doubt bolstered the narrative, too. But, as it stands now, “Under the Flags, the Sun” feels like a work that has a strong but nevertheless underdeveloped foundation underlying it that could have used some significant expansion to strengthen the credibility of its story, especially for viewers unfamiliar with a historical figure whose atrocities deserve wider attention than they have typically received – and deserve to be called out.