By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Mat Whitecross | Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Arfan Usman | Farhad Harun | Jason Salkey | Riz Ahmed | Shahid Iqbal | Sher Khan | Waqar Siddiqui
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2006
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468094/
Bruce says: “Michael Winterbottom, one of the most prolific film directors currently working, is often attracted to political
subjects in films like WELCOME TO SARAJEVO and IN THIS WORLD. Those films touched on the aftermath of wars in Yugoslavia and Afghanistan THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO is a different film because the horrors it describes are still going on. It is based on a true story which is fictionally reenacted, but it also includes documentary footage of the three survivors of Guantanamo who are back in England after their release from prison.
“Caught up in the moment in a mosque as they hear about the impending assault on the Taliban by US Forces, four friends – who have gone from England to Pakistan for an arranged marriage of one in their group – decide to go to Afghanistan to see if they can help. Exactly who they want to help or in what capacity they might lend their services remains unclear throughout the film. The four guys dressed in Gap and Addidas seem more like young students than terrorists. They call each other ‘dickhead’
and ‘fuckin shits.’
“They embark on a journey from Quetta. After they sneak over the border they move from Kandahar to Kabul to Kundoz where they are taken captive by American troops. Three of the young men, the survivors, serve as talking heads who clarify and explain what is transpiring in the narrative part of the film. The young men initially hang out in bazaars and places where they can play video games. As they move towards Kundoz they see the ravages of war – the shells of buildings, the frightened and homeless people and their general chaos of movement past the wounded and dead. Some of the victims have arms and legs blown off others have stomachs pouring out of their bodies. The locals in each village busy themselves by making mass graves.
“When the three are captured their wallets, money and jewelry are confiscated. They are locked in a truck and transported over long distances. Inside the truck is dark, hot and humid. Officers shoot holes in the side of the truck and the shots kill some of the men inside. Inside the truck the stench of death is everywhere. The men must urinate and defecate themselves as they are wedged one against or on top of another. Later they have burlap bags taped around their heads. Their heads are shaved. They are terrorized by guard dogs. Each man is interrogated separately. ‘Where’s Bin Laden?’ the Americans ask. In two months they are moved to Guantanamo.
“They are put in outdoor kennels and left to roast in the sun without food or water. Each man is told that his two friends have confessed to being terrorists. They are individually taken to areas where they are forced into stress positions and left for hours, sometimes with Dr. Dre, Tupac or Eminem blaring loudly with strobe lights an added menace to the senses. Some prisoners in Guanatanamo are beaten to a bloody pulp with rifle butts when they won’t confess. Finally they are moved to Camp Delta (Honor Bound to Defend Freedom is the notation under the camp name). Here they have cells with beds. Although they are tortured they also have more sensitive interrogators, some of which are women. Ultimately the three men are released when nothing against them can be found.
“THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO is a painful film to watch. The action is sometimes confusing to follow. The acting is mostly physical in nature. Similar to SYRIANA in helping us understand the whole picture of the post 9/11 war on terror, this film has great value. 3.5 cats”