The toll of war — 2 years ago
There’s quite a bit of interesting stuff in this movie, particularly in terms of seeing the opporations of Al-Jazeera in action, understanding where they fit with regards to the culture(s) of the region, and so forth.
What I found most profoundly striking, however, was the depiction of the ugliest sides of war and the way it takes a toll on everyone. As the war goes on and the situation gets more and more complex, you can see both the Al-Jazeera crews and the American military media operations officer starting to crack up. It is also impossible not to be stricken by the attitudes of the American leaders, who seem to occupy a ground that exists purely in the imagination, and are criminally detached from the material side of the war they are fighting.
