State of Fear: The Truth About Terrorism (2006)

100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
100% of users liked it
(28 ratings)

How can an open society balance demands for security with democracy? Dramatized are the human and societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a war against terror, potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders seeking personal political gain. Personal testimony,… More How can an open society balance demands for security with democracy? Dramatized are the human and societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a war against terror, potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders seeking personal political gain. Personal testimony, history and archival footage tell the story of escalating violence in the Andean nation and how the fear of terror undermined their democracy, making Peru a virtual dictatorship where official corruption replaced the rule of law. Terrorist attacks by Shining Path insurgents provoked a military occupation of the countryside. Military justice replaced civil authority, widespread abuses by the Peruvian Army went unpunished, and terrorism continued to spread. Nearly 70,000 civilians eventually died at the hands of Shining Path and the Peruvian military.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Pamela Yates
Genres: Documentary, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 11, 2006 Wide
Studio: Skylight Pictures

Critic Reviews

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
An informative and valuable documentary about the past 30 years of messy times in Peru, but it is also frustrating.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
A lucid, evenhanded look at the dangers that face democracy and the rule of law in an unending cycle of terrorism and counterterrorism.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Yates' unblinking chronicle of recent Peruvian history paints a devastating picture of a people nearly destroyed by their own leaders.
Gene Seymour, Newsday
A fiercely detailed, yet scrupulously balanced documentary about the 20-year cycle of violence, retribution and corruption that engulfed Peru, its government and its citizens.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Based on the testimony of more than 16,000 people, Pamela Yates's harrowing documentary chronicles 20 years of terror, brutality and repression.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
The new doc State of Fear may only be effective as an educational tool for Americans, whose media have told them next to nothing about one of the Western Hemisphere's most horrifying killing fields.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This dry but informative no frills film is a good educational tool.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
Whatever its propagandistic purpose, State Of Fear draws out these contemporary resonances through a straightforward, four-square documentary style, patiently revealing its history lesson via the expected talking heads, archival footage, and photog
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
It gives one much to think about, and that's the first order of the day for any documentary.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The impressionistic presentation actually undermines the horrifying facts and moving testimony from survivors on both sides of the conflict.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Yates encourages us to strike parallels between Peru's war on terror and any other crusade of its ilk without ever turning her attention away from the crisis at hand.