Peter Krupa

In the event of a revolution, real art is usually the first thing to go. Why? Because real art is subversive, and a popular revolution - which is supposed to be supported by everyone - cannot abide dissenting voices. Of course popular revolutions always pay lip service to art, by painting murals and sponsoring ballet. But anyone who cares to look will note censorship raising its ugly head, usually for some good cause like protecting the integrity of the revolution, or punishing disrespect toward the supreme leader.

A normal person wouldn’t put Secuestro Express in either of the above two categories. A Venezuelan movie about the unsettling criminal tradition of kidnapping rich caraqueños to extort money out of their relatives (literally, “express kidnapping”), it has been wildly popular, and become the highest-grossing movie in Venezuelan history. It’s a tough movie, but these are tough times for Venezuela, whose soaring crime rate recently brought people out to the streets in protest.

But rather than laud this cinematic milestone and use the film to generate discussion on what should be done about Venezuela’s real crime problem, the Bolivarian Revolution has decided to attack the messenger:

Vice President José Vicente Rangel has denounced the movie, loosely based on the real-life kidnapping of the director, as “a falsification of the truth with no artistic value.” The director is being sued for “vilifying” President Hugo Chávez, though the president never appears in the film, nor is he mentioned.

But wait, it gets even better:

In January, the hosts of a government television program accused the Jewish filmmaker of being part of a “Zionist conspiracy against Chávez.” The next morning, the president angrily called for laws to block the production of films that “denigrate our revolution.”

Director Jonathan Jakubowicz, 28, fled the country, and now resides in LA.

I try to get worked up about this kind of harassment, but really it’s an old, old story - like a residual hangover from the 20th century. Venezuela, led by Hugo Chávez, is making its way down a well traveled path towards a very basic form of fascism.

Not that he hasn’t gotten plenty of help. Obviously the years and years of mismanagement by the country’s wealthy elite have constructed the perfect podium and the perfect audience for a man who would be king. Still, that doesn’t make it any easier to watch him get up in front of a crowd on independence day and brag about the nation’s military strength.

I’m afraid this will all end badly.