April 15, 2008

Errol Morris, shows film at the Walker


Director Errol Morris director of the academy award winning Fog of War, New York Times blogger, and inventor of the infamous Interrotron has had a rather excentric career. A strange variety of topic covered, from a Orange County Pet cemetery to a expert on Naked Mole Rats. His pervious film garnered the academy award for documentary featuring an interview with Robert McNamara. His latest work titled "Standard Operating Procedure" has won the "silver bear" gand jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival. It was shown lat night at the Walker Arts Center, and will open up in Landmark theaters on May 23rd. The viewing wasn't sold out due to some special request by sony limiting the number of viewers for the film.

The movies focus is on the controversy of torture at Abu Ghraib, and specifically the pictures taken there. The movie is filled with the stylish Morris re-enactment of a black background heavy direct overhead lighting and constanst slow motion visuals. The story is touching and fairly disturbing, making you feel angry at the war and slightly sypathetic for those soldiers who were thrown into such a horrible situation. There is constant voice over of private letters sent by one of the women, who seems the most conscious of the atrocities going on around her.

The after show Q&A was fairly unexceptional, except fot the last 30 minutes when after someone asked if any of the people interviewed "showed any contrition?" Mr Morris exploded in a tirade about President Bush becoming red in the face, he later said that impeachment should be done. He ended by saying asking the audience what they were doing to stop a war he guessed most people in the room disagreed with.

This is the second movie along with Stop-Loss to be openly critical of the Iraq war. The movie also is joined by the recent cover article in the City Pages concerning the rise of suicide rate for returned veterans, the media attention will I am guessing turn to the Iraq war with an ever closer microscope as the election heats up.

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