Although Estela Bravo’s documentary “Fidel” (Unrated, 91 minutes) is cloyingly hagiographic in its portrait of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, it’s still a guilty pleasure to watch. There’s one, unequivocal reason for this. Love him or hate him (and, it seems, there are few in between), Castro is one of the most dynamic political leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries.

He has outlived nine presidents, survived uncounted assassination attempts and steered his impoverished country through a decades-long American trade embargo. And his driving dedication to his own revolution (and by extension, his country) is beyond debate. With some fascinating stock footage and photographs, Bravo takes us through Castro’s early days as a student activist, the revolution that toppled Batista, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis and highlights of Castro’s soldierly reign ” including the Elian Gonzalez affair. (Remember that?)

It’s nothing short of historically entertaining to watch him meeting the pope, South African leader Nelson Mandela (“When are you coming to South Africa?”), best friend Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the members of the Buena Vista Social Club and even Jack Nicholson. But watching this movie, you wouldn’t think there was one political prisoner in Cuba, or even one unhappy citizen. And there’s no mention of the real poverty the country faces, or the number of people who attempt to escape Cuba by boat.

Why’s that? Because the people love Fidel! And there are some bizarre choices for interviews: Why, for instance, should we pay attention to novelist Alice Walker’s opinion of Fidel? But despite these missteps, Castro remains the star of the show. You can’t stop watching him. The documentary contains nothing objectionable.