Vladimir Rakhmanin | Deputy Online Editor
Zero Dark Thirty has been the subject of controversy for a while now. There have been allegations that the film was politically biased, that it was blatant propaganda for the CIA (indeed, some have compared Bigelow to Leni Riefenstahl) – others have stated that the film not only justifies torture as a legitimate torture tactic, but also praises it as being essential to anti-terrorist operations. With all of these accusations flying left and right, it can often be difficult to answer the simple question – is Zero Dark Thirty a good film?
I think it is. Not only do I think that it’s a good film, I also think that it is remarkable in how it manages to be almost entirely objective in the way it portrays events that are clearly sensitive to world politics. Obviously, some parts of the film could have been exaggerated for dramatic effect (the film also doubles as a highly effective thriller), but otherwise, it doesn’t look like the film chooses sides.
The beginning is an example of this. The film opens with a black screen, with the audio comprising of a collage of phone calls that took place during 9/11. Nothing is shown, so we can only hear the panicked screams of those that we know are about to die. It would seem that Bigelow is attempting to bring the sympathy of the audience towards the Americans – however, the sequence that follows next, a prolonged, brutal humiliation and torture of a 9/11 suspect, bucks our expectations. We are shown why the Americans have resorted to these tactics – but their brutal nature leaves us wondering who the real villains are.
This dance of objectivity continues throughout the film. None of the characters are particularly likeable – Jessica Chastain, who plays Maya, the closest to a main character we get in the story (we view the events through her eyes), is almost psychotic in her determination. One wonders what would have happened if her shot in the dark had missed. She is difficult to sympathise with, although Chastain’s performance is fantastic.
The actual assault on Bin Laden’s compound is exhilarating – even though we know the outcome, we still feel the tension as yet another door is broken down with no results. As I have stated previously, this is a great thriller – almost every scene is full of tension and uncertainty. The overall tone is extremely gritty – and not in the overused meaning of the term, either. I mean properly, disturbingly realistic – high praise for a film attempting to describe the capture of Bin Laden.
Overall, I believe that Zero Dark Thirty is great purely because it doesn’t make a stance on its highly controversial topic – it is pure storytelling. It gives the audience all the facts, no matter how disturbing they may be, and leaves it to them to draw their own conclusions.
