That Zero Dark Thirty should come under fire for its use and portrayal of torture is not surprising. The film deserves to spark debate about how we respond to these sorts of threats, and critically examine our claim to the moral high ground. However, the debate seems overly simplistic. It has been suggested that the controversy over torture cost director Kathryn Bigelow a Best Director nomination, and that’s a shame. The fact she’s felt to the need to respond to these relatively shallow commentaries is less than heartening.
Zero Dark Thirty has a lot to say about torture. It’s a lot of thoughtful and insightful and nuanced stuff, and Zero Dark Thirty actually gets to the nub of the issue, very clearly condemning the culture of “enhanced interrogation”, in a way that is much more effective than any of the commentators seem to realise.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Abu Ghraib, Academy Award, Central Intelligence Agency, cia, dark knight, Dianne Feinstein, Jason Clarke, Kathryn Bigelow, Osama bin Laden, Torture, United States, war on terror, Washington Times, Zero Dark Thirty | 3 Comments »
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