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Filmmakers Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani pan their cameras beneath the surface of Bolivia's Cerro Rico silver mines, a place so dark, depressing and frightening that locals believe it's the devil'...( read more  read more... )s home. Chronicling the daily ordeal of 14-year-old breadwinner Basilio Vargas -- who chews coca leaves on his way to work to numb his persistent, primordial terror -- this somber documentary captures the hellish realities of fear.

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25 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani

Release Date: April 22, 2005

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DVD Release Date: May 23, 2006

Stats: 37 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (37)

  • Nenebelle
    November 14, 2009
    Nenebelle
    Recommended by WitchfulThinking.
  • WitchfulThinking
    November 14, 2009
    WitchfulThinking

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    The Devil's Miner (2004)
    Directed and Produced by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani.

    The Devil's Miner is about Basilio Vargas, a bright, ambitious boy who is curious about the world and sees the value of an education, but is trapped in a dangerous and deplorable third world quagmire. Fatherless, Basilio must work in the notorious Serra Rico silver mines of Bolivia to finance an existence for himself. Over 8 million people have died in the mines since they were established 450 years ago. That comes out to almost eighteen thousand deaths a year.

    The mines are mostly depleted of minerals, long abandoned by the companies that once ran them. They are now owned and operated by a local workers cooperative. The miners lack the resources to excavate safely using modern equipment. Their work environment holds a plethora of fatal hazards. The miners know with certainty that they will be dead by age 40 from silicosis, if they are not killed in gruesome accidents first. Despite this, many have chosen to sacrifice themselves in order to support their families, having no other viable options in the ruined local economy.

    Basilio chews coca to stay awake during the lengthy 12 to 16 hour shifts. Working many hundreds of feet underground he must employ constant vigilance to avoid a multitude of dangers such as cave-ins, untimely explosions, falls, becoming lost and many other appalling work related hazards.

    He goes to school as much as possible, where he has to conceal the nature of his employment to avoid social rejection. He contributes what wages he can to assist his mother and siblings. The mines are so inconceivably primitive and dangerous that it becomes a symptom of human nature that even an ordinarily rational person is compelled to total fatalism.

    The miners adhere to the perceived need to make a variety of material offerings and ritual sacrifices to the Devil which they believe inhabits the mines and controls their destinies. The devil persona it turns out, is one created by the Spanish Crown and perpetuated by foreign mining companies to trick the workers into accepting terrible conditions. They were forced to spend six months at a stretch underground working ever harder in twenty hour shifts with only four hours of rest in between, for an insultingly low wage. Although the current miners understand the origins of the devil myth and the mining companies are now long gone, the hopelessness and sheer horror of their situation ensures their continued belief in the threatening entity.

    Basilio's working conditions, home life on the mining site, and his community life are objectively documented. The film takes no position, but instead presents the awful facts which speak for themselves. The story is subtitled and told in via Basilio's own recorded voice as his compiled responses comprise a striking monologue describing his experiences.

    There is extensive, spectacular footage of the bowels of the mines and stark, local geography which paint a depressing and utterly bleak portrait of despair and hopelessness. The picture that is presented of the local dilemma is so dire as to make anyone feel fortunate to lead a monotonous, humdrum, workaday existence in the first world.

    This is a first rate documentary. It is one entry in a multitude of recent, compelling films that comprise a rebirth of the genre, all of which spur deep thought, reveal disturbing facts, and take no position in order to let the viewer make up his or her own mind.
  • okkaywarner
    October 21, 2007
    okkaywarner
    I'm not sure what to say about it. My sister didn't like it much so she fast forwarded through most of the second half. I don't know that I can call it a bad movie, it just didn't offer much more than: Poor 14 year old kid who has to work in a mine and underground worship the ...( read more)devil because it is his territory beneath the ground.

    Basically I felt guilty and somewhat bored. I don't think I gave the movie a good enough chance but I don't think it was great. I probably sound pretty heartless saying it was boring. Perhaps someday I will have to give it a proper chance. Honestly, it isn't that I don't feel horrible for children who have to work in a horrible and dangerous place, I just don't need 82 minutes of guilt and sympathy and admiration for poor kids to know that the world really sucks for a lot of people. But, like I said, I didn't really get to see it all so the ending might have had something great to it but I don't think I will ever actually go back and finish it and find out.

    Maybe I could sum it up by saying that there wasn't anything really great or unique about the documentary but the subject matter was kind of interesting and certainly the story of children laboring in dangerous mines is heartbreaking.
  • MisterMarvelous
    July 1, 2007
    MisterMarvelous
    If you?re in the mood for an eye opening documentary? this will do the trick. I was captivated throughout the entire movie; following these children who must work in the mines of Bolivia is both heart wrenching and inspiring at the same time. Any parents out there who have childr...( read more)en complaining about homework or school, should show their kids this film? seeing young Basilio work a 14-24 hour shift in the mines, then still have the energy to somehow go to school the next morning is an eye opener. The family that this film follows was so fascinating to me? the children at a young age are wise way beyond their years and show the kind of determination and commitment to family that is getting more and more rare here in America. Immersing yourself in this film will also help you to realize that even the poorest burger flipping minimum wage worker here in America lives like a pampered king; compared to these individuals. There is also the spiritual side of the film which I found fascinating. The miners are God fearing individuals when living outside the mine, but once they enter the mines they pray and worship the devil because they believe the devil is God in the mines. Wow. I?m giving this one my ?must see? stamp, and if you?re a documentary fan like I am, this is a no brainer.
  • forceofdust
    January 5, 2007
    forceofdust
    At last it's up. This was unforgettable
  • ashblossom
    November 30, 2006
    ashblossom
    This film truly hurt my heart, yet i fell deeply in love with this family. Such an eye opening film, very genuine.

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