In its 20 years in power, Venezuela’s socialist government used its oil wealth to shower its people with everything from cheap food to free housing. But mismanagement and corruption have now left state coffers bare and the economy in tatters.

Maria Planchart says she once lived comfortably in Caracas and had aspirations of being a lawyer. Now jobless, she struggles to feed her children.

Like millions of Venezuelans, Ms. Planchart is fighting for survival amid hyperinflation, rampant crime and President Nicolas Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

The WSJ Films documentary below follows her journey.

WSJ Films

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Write to Robert Libetti at robert.libetti@wsj.com and Juan Forero at juan.forero@wsj.com