Films that bring previously obscured truths about the political process to the attention of the public, showing for example how offices of public trust are used for private purposes.
THE INFORMANT! IS A TRAGICOMIC BIOPIC OF MARK WHITACRE Biochemist Mark Whitacre blew the whistle on price fixing by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) but served nearly nine years in prison while those he exposed served three years. The Informant!, directed by Stephen Soderbergh, tries to explain why. Soon after the film begins, in 1992, filmviewers […]
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX DEPICTS A 1970S URBAN TERRORIST GANG IN GERMANY A biopic of notorious urban terrorists, The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Complex) explains how some Mao-quoting German opponents of the American misadventure in Vietnam morphed into urban terrorists. Directed by Uli Edel, the film begins at a nudist beach in Germany,
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Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen), directed by Ole Christian Madsen, is a biopic of the most famous members of the Danish resistance to the German occupation of World War II–Bent Faurschou-Hviid (Flame) and Jorgen Haagen Schmith (Citron). President Harry Truman posthumously awarded them the Medal of Freedom in 1951. The film demonstrates the ambiguity
The Russians reached Berlin first and remained for occasional raids to wipe out lingering Nazi resistance. Most of their idle time was spent eating, sleeping, and turning the city into a whorehouse. In A Woman in Berlin (Anonyma—Eine Frau in Berlin), directed by Max Fäberböck, the women of Berlin find protectors and try to turn
DOLPHIN BLOOD RUNS DEEP IN THE COVE Richard O’Barry made the adorable bottlenose dolphin a focus of worldwide awe in the television series Flipper (1964-1968). As he trained the five dolphins known as Flipper, he learned of their beauty, intelligence, and sensitivity, but not until after ten years, when one died by suicide in his
By far, the best of the lot is The Stoning of Soraya M., directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and based on an event in 1986. The venue is a small town in Iran, where Soraya (played by Mozhan Marnò) was stoned. When the film begins, a journalist’s car has broken down in that town. Freidoune Sahebjam
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THE HURT LOCKER MAY LEAVE YOU NASEOUS ABOUT WAR Directed by Kathryn Bigelow to be as realistic as possible of the combat experienced by Americans in the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker focuses primarily on a bomb squad in 2004 as the insurgency was trying to annoy GIs as if an embedded journalist were there.
AMERICAN VIOLET EXPOSES INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN TEXAS’ CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Based on a true story, American Violet first establishes the reputation of Dee Roberts (played by Nicole Biharie) as a well-qualified waitress in Melody, Texas, who is a fine mother of four. One day one of her daughters is in the parking lot of a
STATE OF PLAY CELEBRATES INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM Released on the weekend before Pulitzer Prizes were announced, State of Play tracks the efforts of investigative reporter Cal McAffrey (played by Russell Crowe) to find corruption in Washington. Shrunk from a six-hour TV miniseries focused on British politics to two hours about American politics, the film ties together
SIN NOMBRE EXPOSES THE PERILS OF MIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES Sayra (played by Paulina Gaitan) is on a long train trip from Honduras to relatives in New Jersey through Guatemala and México in Sin Nombre (Nameless), directed by Cary Fukunaga. Although she must elude the border patrol, the main peril is gang warfare inside
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