0.56% ¿Qué le pasó a México?

Many will recall the news footage from Mexico in the summer of 2006, when dozens of politicians ripped into one another in parliament. This was the culmination of an exceptionally tumultuous presidential election campaign ending with the controversial candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador losing by only 0.56 percent to his opponent Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. This documentary begins with those moments of utter chaos before going back in time to analyze the events that led up to this explosive protest. The camera follows Obrador in particular, hot on the heels of this former mayor of Mexico City. For the previous few years he had been enjoying the support of a large section of the Mexican population, and he feels confident of victory. But when he fails to appear at a debate with his opponents, some of the electorate loses faith in him and polls later indicate that Calderón will win. On Election Day itself, the tension is palpable, with the final result yet to be announced. The first counts reveal that Calderón and López Obrador are running almost neck-and-neck, and both candidates declare themselves to be the victor. When it turns out that Calderón has won after all - with just a minuscule margin - the power struggle really breaks out. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)