December

An economic crisis that had been simmering for years erupted in Argentina in December 2001. In an attempt to preserve financial stability, the government decided that Argentinians could withdraw no more than 250 pesos per person per week from the bank. In some cases, salaries, as well as pensions and benefits, had not been paid for months. This was the last straw for the general population. They took to the streets en masse under the rallying cry, ¡Que se vayan todos! (“They must all go!”), aimed at bankers and politicians alike.

This brilliantly edited documentary is composed entirely of archival footage shot between December 1, 2001 and January 3, 2002—five weeks in which the country had five different presidents, and a growing crisis exploded. In the first week political reports were still interspersed with seemingly random news items—a film star photo-shoot, concert rehearsals, multiple car accidents—but soon the focus shifted entirely to the protests, riots and political twists and turns.

December is a chronicle of spontaneous outbreaks of protest that shows what can happen when the despair and discontent of the people are ignored for too long.