This genre-defying film introduces the radical Chicano lawyer, author and counter-cultural icon, Oscar Zeta Acosta. Acosta was the basis for Dr. Gonzo in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," written by his friend, the Hunter S. Thompson.
Channeling the psychedelic 60's and the irreverence of "Gonzo" journalism, THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BROWN BUFFALO shows Acosta's evolution playing out against the backdrop of a society in turmoil. From his origins in rural California, to his stint as a Baptist missionary in Panama, to his radicalization in the Chicano movement of the late 60's, and finally to his mysterious disappearance off the coast of Mexico in 1974, the film offers a complex vision of a Chicano icon who was emblematic of a generation, and yet totally unique in so many ways. Executive Produced by Benicio Del Toro.
Official Selection at the San Francisco Latin American Film Festival and the San Diego Latin American Film Festival.