The Road to Guantanamo

[madali]

The Road to Guantanamo (2006)
IMDB Link

A nation’s morality is never tested in a time of peace, but only in a time of conflict. A country with no war or under no threat, with a strong economy, with no political turmoil, is not put to any great test.

But get a country that is faced with war and battles, and let us see how its morality stands. If a lot of countries today are defending and upholding the Geneva Convention, they are doing it in a time of peace. If a well-fed, sheltered man does not engage in criminal activities, then that is admirable, but it is more admirable if he retains his peaceful nature when he is hungry and homeless.

The Road to Guantanamo is the story of a country that has discarded its values when its values became inconvenient. It is a tragic story, for the prisoners, but mainly for America.

The movie has an important and sad story to tell. How worse would have America acted if instead of two towers, it was one city? If instead of a terrorist group, it was a powerful country? If instead of hijacked planes, it was a horde of powerful army planes? Value for human life and dignity should come even in harsh circumstances. America has proven that it is unable to be true to its ideologies.

As a documentary, The Road to Guantanamo is faulty. It goes to great lengths in trying to give its message, and at times, it cheapens itself. It shows the Pakistanis as innocent and friendly people, who went to Afghanistan in search of the big NAN (bread), and just happened to be in the middle of the war, and just happened to be among Taliban fighters. While this might be true, the movie does not even try to challenge this. What is the risk in this? The risk is that the movie is afraid it will lose its audience’s sympathies if it gives even a hint of suspicion to its boys.

The movie should have been braver. It should not have said, “It is not right for innocent people to be treated this way”, but instead, “Is it right for potentially Taliban fighters to be treated this way?”. The Geneva Convention is not something that was created for civilians, but for people actually involved in the war, people who have blood on their hand, and yet still, even then, deserve to be treated with dignity.

It is easy for us not to want these kinds of actions against innocents. But how about terrorists? Are we strong enough to hold onto our values when our values might be difficult to uphold?

In the end, what I am saying might hold very little weight, considering it is easy to be good, when being good is no threat to a person. How different would I be, my house was destroyed, and my family killed? If I am put to the test then, will I fail?

4/5

[kaytee]

Nice review Mad, this movie is very thought provoking and most of your points are valid and nice topic for a discussion for a post movie bash.

[X.]

This is one of the most perceptive opinion pieces on this subject.

It is a great review.

[ozzylogic]

The locals here love it. Trust me. I wanna watch it.

[shariqq]

Whoa! That is one deadly article/review, mad. I've been rolling around on Summer Commercial releases - need to get back to more (in)humane subjects now. I'll watch this in the nest 2-3 days.

[madali]

Thanks, guys, and Shariqq, will look forward to your feedback.

[fizz]

I am amazed beyond words at what powerful stuff Winterbottom is capable of!



In the world of cinema we are sometimes lost amidst the artificiality of what we see, Winterbotom's pseudo documentary is a jolting reminder of what the real world is like for many. This is the story of a bunch of kids with high curiosity and an apetite for adventure who travel from their native England to their traditional home in Pakistan, only to, in all their naivety, also step into neighbouring Afghanistan to extend a helping hand to people who they perceive as not too different from themselves. Unfortunately for them, the war on terror commences and they are mistaken for terrorist aides and imprisoned, eventually finding their way to the infamous Guantanamo prison in Cuba. Made in a very similar manner to the equally remarkable In this world, except with a voyage that works in reverse, the movie is, quite frankly and in all honesty, electrifying. It has the power of a thriller and the realism of a news coverage and these aspects together lend it an wide eyed authenticity that was lacking in say, last years Syriana.

Watching the film (for that is what it must be considering it employs the services of actors to tell the story of the interviewed Tripton three ala Touching the void) its amazing how happy the Americans were at winning a war fighting farmers and sheep herders. Winterbotoom also constantly shows us the irony of news coverage at the time claiming how the victors had in their captivity really dangerous Al Qaeda personnel, when all they really had were disillusioned, aimless youths. Because this is based on a true story, it isn't giving away anything by revealing that the 3 were eventually released when no evidence was found against them - without an apology. But what they had to endure, and what we bare witness to through the work of a maverick filmaker, is the unflinching truth, made without the excess baggage of budgets or stars, shunning any need for boxoffice returns or studio backing.

Rating: 5/5

[fizz]

As a documentary, The Road to Guantanamo is faulty. It goes to great lengths in trying to give its message, and at times, it cheapens itself. It shows the Pakistanis as innocent and friendly people, who went to Afghanistan in search of the big NAN (bread), and just happened to be in the middle of the war, and just happened to be among Taliban fighters. While this might be true, the movie does not even try to challenge this. What is the risk in this? The risk is that the movie is afraid it will lose its audience’s sympathies if it gives even a hint of suspicion to its boys.

Thats a great review Mad, but I disagree with this point of view. If you've read about Winterbottoms approach, he has deliberately tried not to question the facts here. With the help of his directing partners, who did a mammoth amount of interviews, only some of which made it to the finished product, the duo provided the Tripton 3 with an opportunity that they never had. As individuals, we are influenced by the media and informed subjectively, and here Winterbottom allows these 3 individuals to talk about their experiences, without being questioned about it, via the medium of cinema. That is the entire point.

There are probably exaggerations in their talk about their experiences, that thought has gone through my head - but when you are angry and humiliated, being rationale is the least of your concerns. The film never allows itself to be manipulated by a very personal story and that is a very important achievement.

[madali]

Although, in their defense, they did sound rational.

[hamzat]

I saw the flick.....and it left me hanging quite frankly.  There's something about someone rapping to his captor while sitting in gravel that didn't resonate with me..you feel me?  I wanted anger, rage, despair.  I wanted those guys to shout out throughout the film in defiance.  Maybe it's youthfulness that kept them so cool, but I would have been just a tad more PISSED!!  And reading what happened to one of the "actors" in the film, I don't remember which one, who was harassed by British Customs when he returned from a screening of the film in of all places America (it's a wonder the Americans let him into the country....go figure) was enough to send me over the edge.  So what am I saying?  I got angrier reading about how an actor was treated than seeing how the real deals were treated on film.  That's definitely NOT copastetic.  Perhaps my problem is I have been angry over this bs called Guantanamo for a very long time and there's just nothing else left.