Okay. You guys talked me into it. Here’s my first review for this blog. Tell me what you think.
GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB
HBO Documentary Films
Moxie Firecracker Films
Credits: Director: Rory Kennedy; Writer: Jack Youngelson; Producers: Rory Kennedy, Liz Garbus, Jack Youngelson; Director of Photography: Tom Hurwitz; Music: Miriam Cutler; Editor: Sari Gilman
No MPAA rating, running time: 82 minutes
This documentary by Rory Kennedy (daughter of Robert Kennedy) had a limited theatrical release and is not yet out on DVD, but it is being shown on HBO.
"Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" came to my attention in an unusual way. It actually was what sparked the latest dust up on “The View” when Ms. Kennedy came on the program to discuss the film. Things became heated when adorable, little right wing moppet, Elizabeth Hasslebach, while doing her best to blur the definition of torture, was cut her off at the knees by the irrepressible, “too butch for primetime”, Rosie O’Donnell. For a fleeting moment it crossed my mind that this incident on "The View" might bring the issue of US interrogation techniques in Iraq into mainstream news, but noooo. Instead, I was treated to wall-to-wall coverage of the latest Rosie attack on every program I watched for the next 24 hours. Nobody (that I saw) mentioned what spurred the harsh words. I think it is generally accepted now that Rosie O’Donnell is mean and crazy and a celebrity… and that’s what makes news. I mean after all, she did go after American icons Donald Trump and Kelli Ripa, and, come on, most offensive of all…she’s FAT.
I saw on the morning news the next day that Elizabeth was fine. She even gave Rosie a nifty pair of clogs on her Broadway Birthday Extravaganza! Since all was right with the world, I decided to do a Tivo search for the documentary and see what all the fuss was about.
In stark contrast to the left wing pop-doc easy listening style, and the right wing cable news technique of loud music, exploding graphics, and animated American flags, this film is jam packed with information, but little flash. "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" has no voice over narration, and in that ifilm kinda way, the players are introduced and gaps are filled in by text. The straight forward presentation and first person accounts are powerful, and the silence in between is very effective.
The story is framed by old black and white footage (which reminded me of classic Candid Camera episodes) from a 1961 Yale study where the subjects were ordered to shock a person with escalating jolts of electricity for no other reason than that they were ordered to do so by a person in authority. Are most people really predisposed to blindly follow orders, even in the face of their own personal morality? Is that what happened at Abu Ghraib?
The story of the notorious Iraqi prison is primarily told by the people that were involved, guards and prisoners, but the film also does what the mainstream media has failed to do. It explains what the Geneva Conventions are, and shows by using actual documents how the current administration (Bush, Rumsfeld, Gonzales) systematically peeled back the standards which protected non-combatives and prisoners of war, including our own troops.
Although the stories told by the Iraqi prisoners were heart wrenching, especially the man whose father died in custody, the most striking moments for me were watching our own troops recount their experiences in Iraq. Most of these young people were fresh out of boot camp. One young man, trained as a sniper, arrived in Iraq ready to serve. He asked his superiors what the “Rules of Engagement” were, aka- who should he shoot, and under what conditions and circumstances. He was advised, “If it looks like the enemy, shoot it”. He countered with, “I’ve never been outside of the United States, everybody looks like the enemy”. Eventually he, along with the other lower level soldiers featured in the film, were pulled from combat duty and suddenly, without training, put on as a guard at the former Iraqi prison at Abu Ghraib.
Under Saddam, the facility was the scene of torture and executions numbering in the thousands. One soldier explains his horror when he discovered his sleeping quarters had 2 cremation ovens on the wall. Huge portraits of Saddam covered walls and ropes still dangled from wooden gallows.
Under US control, the population at Abu Ghraib swelled to over 4,000. The prisoners were divided into different units, lower level threats, hardcore threats, and a special section for women and children who were used as leverage during interrogations. The small staff (around 300) were required to “prep” inmates for the interrogators by blasting music, and keeping them awake and chained in uncomfortable positions for extended periods. The prisoners were kept naked a fair amount of the time, and the female guards were ordered to point, laugh and to mock them.
It is clear that these young military men and women were thrown into a dangerous situation, that they were overworked and under trained, and as the building was riddled with gun fire from the outside day after day that their stress levels were off the chart. The people in power not only encouraged cruel and abhorrent behavior, but they rewarded it. These kids were clearly out of their depth. Still, I was struck by the clear disconnect that was evident when they, especially the women, told their stories. At one point, one of the female guards compared her daily participation in acts of torture and humiliation to going to the dentist. She said it isn’t something you look forward to, but you do it anyway. Another female explained away a picture of her grinning, thumbs up over a pyramid of naked Iraqi men, by saying it may have been a stupid thing to do, but she always smiles for pictures. In another photo she is shown, with the same big grin, posing over the battered body of a man that died at the hands of US interrogators. She justified it by claiming she didn’t know he was murdered, he was just another dead guy.
At the end of the day, the administration washed their hands of the incidents at Abu Ghraib, by palming it off as the sadistic hijinx of a few bad apples. They called it Animal House on the night shift. No high ranking officers were called to task. Only the lower ranking soldiers were prosecuted. The soldier that turned over the cd of the infamous Abu Ghraib pictures did so with much fear of reprisal. He was assured that his name would never be revealed. Donald Rumsfeld then promptly outed him in a nationally broadcast press conference. The soldier had to be flown back to the US for his own safety.
"Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" is a compelling film, but it is also an important film. It brings up larger questions than the politics of the Iraq war that have polarized America. “Will a person do almost anything, if they are ordered to by a person in authority?” I still don’t know. I like to believe there is no amount of pressure that would change my basic human compassion and morality. But fortunately I’ve never been put to the test.
The more important questions are, “What does America stand for?”, “Can we still be a leader in world?” and “What do we owe the young people in this volunteer military?” I recommend this documentary to anyone who cares more about America and our standing in the world community than they do about Rosie and her standing with the Donald, and everybody else should see it too!
Here's a sneak peak of "Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib" and an interview with Rory Kennedy.
I'm not sure what to do (if anything) with this blog, because most of what I write is not G rated :) I love movies and do write reviews, but dare I compete with Steve?
For today, I'll just leave a comment about the recent death of Richard Jeni. I've been a fan for years and I felt terrible when I heard the news. I am going to try to attend Richard's memorial at the Laugh Factory if it is not reserved for family and friends. What a funny guy. What a waste.
