TV Reviews : ‘Burning Season’: Revealing Humanity

The word hero tends to get debased in a world that elevates its sports, film and pop music stars to often gratuitous heights. What makes HBO’s “The Burning Season” such a memorable viewing experience is that it movingly portrays the type of deep courage and humanity that lies behind our most worthy role models.

In this fact-based film about Brazilian activist Chico Mendes, hero isn’t defined in the larger-than-life terms sometimes favored by television. Instead, director John Frankenheimer and actor Raul Julia present a decidedly ordinary man driven to extraordinary action through the sheer force of his moral conviction.

Indeed, Mendes is a prototypical Everyman who is neither a fiery orator nor a worldly erudite. But what this union leader does possess is a native intelligence and an unshakable determination to fight for the rights of the oppressed rubber tappers in his province of Cachoeira. Armed with basic reading and writing skills that most of his rural compatriots lack, Mendes sets out to stop the destruction of the Amazon rain forest by cattle ranchers and government officials.

“The Burning Season” concludes with a series of frightening statistics and facts regarding the ever-shrinking rain forests. It’s nearly impossible not to be affected by the disturbing aerial shots of lush forest lands being razed by roaring fires.

But the film is hardly a didactic plea to save the earth. For Mendes, who was taught as a child to respect the natural environment, the grass-roots movement he pilots has more to do with defending the land and work rights of his people than protecting the ozone layer. In fact, the stubborn idealist expresses surprise when he discovers that he has become an international symbol for the environmental movement.

An acutely visual filmmaker, Frankenheimer elicits choice performances from nearly all of his actors. Tomas Milian plays the wicked rancher, Darli Alves, with a chilling arrogance. But it is Julia who anchors the movie. Looking slimmer than he ever has on film, the Puerto Rican-born actor shows that he can carry a scene whether he’s deep in reflection or bristling with outrage.

* “The Burning Season” airs at 8 tonight on HBO, with repeats Tuesday, Sept. 25 and 28, and Oct. 3 and 6.