Zero Dark Thirty

For this week, I decided to write on Katherine Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, as I had watched it recently and had mostly ignored the debate over how the film covered the torture scenes, as it was kind of irrelevant without having viewed the film yet. I found this to be a difficult film to research, as there really isn't any 'reputable' historical work (my sources were all journalists) done on the subject yet (and "No Easy Day" wasn't available at the library), some information is still confidential, and the film was so divisive on the torture issue that it is all anyone seems to talk about. I think it is interesting that we live in a world where screenplays are being written about important events almost directly after they occur.

In the Time Magazine Article Picking up a Cold Trail: President Obama's Hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Graham Allison portrays President Obama's role in the hunt for Osama and ultimate plans and decision to send SEAL Team Six very differently from the Zero Dark Thirty. In the film, Obama is not played by any actor, and is only seen on the TV screen. His administration seems to slow progress, rather than aid it, and the operation only goes through due to the audacity and confidence of a CIA agent, Maya. Allison, on the other hand, points out that Osama would have never been caught and portrays him as directly involved as soon as the CIA comes forward with the evidence of Osama's compound. Rather than one CIA agent, the Time Article claims that the release of the Guantanamo files from Wikileaks is what forced the operation to take place, as the Obama Administration feared that from the information released (which was available on the front of the NY Times), it could be inferred that they knew of the Osama Compound.

I feel it necessary to address the issue of torture in the movie, as it is such a hot subject. Michael Isikoff's article Bin Laden's Death Rekindles 'Enhanced' Interrogation Debate. He claims that torture only allowed the CIA to acquire a pseudonym to the courier that eventually lead the US to Osama bin Laden, pointing to the failures of 'enhanced interrogation' as being incapable of getting additional information. Most criticism of the film argues that it portrayed torture in a positive light (or sometimes that refused to comment on it's morality, which is argued to be as bad) and that it was seen as a key factor in ascertaining Osama's location. I think that this is an inaccurate reading of the film. For me, the torture scenes were both difficult to watch and the lowest point in the film (for the characters). At least one character in the film experiences psychological harm from engaging and participating in these scenes. It's also important to note that Isikoff's article reflects the film, as detainee's unwillingness to talk about the courier becomes the source of Maya's confidence in his importance.

A question that I had after watching the film was: is the CIA agent Maya even based on a real person? It seemed improbable that a single person could have been instrumental in the entire event and that the filmmakers would highlight a possibly still operative field agent. According to a blog entry on Slate Magazine's website, Who Are the People in Zero Dark Thirty, (perhaps not the best source, but they do a good job of citing all of their research) not only is Maya based on a real CIA agent who is called 'Jen', but every character is based on somebody in real life. I'm sure her influence on the event is overstated in the film, and that it was probably better reflected in the efforts of thousands of people, but that certainly would have made for a worse film.

Allison, Graham. “Picking up a Cold Trail: President Obama's Hunt for Osama Bin Laden.” time.com. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2113156,00.html (accessed March 26, 2013).

Isikoff, Michael “Bin Laden's Death Rekindles 'enhanced' Interrogation Debate.” NBC News. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42863247/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/#.UVH8XRyG18E (accessed March 26, 2013).

Haglund, David, Aisha Harris, and Forrest Wickman. “Who Are the People in Zero Dark Thirty?”http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/01/14/zero_dark_thirty_fact_vs_fiction_who_are_the_real_life_inspirations_for.html(accessed March 26, 2013).