Dilawar was just another unfortunate Afghan caught in the wrong place at the wrong time (2002) by blundering, uncomprehending U.S. soldiers -- and beaten to death. A military doctor described his death as homicide, reporters noticed, and filmmaker Alex Gibney spins a visual account of the burgeoning global U.S. torture regime jumping off from this single, small episode in a trail of horrors.
This was the only movie I saw in a theatre this year. It works as a movie. It will not shock anyone who has been paying attention -- but it might make you vomit. Or curdle in shame at what this country has become.
Perhaps the Oscar will keep this documentary in theatres long enough so that some larger number of us face what our country has become.
Information on showings here. Several days ago, HBO acquired TV rights. Let us hope they follow through on their promise of a broadcast in September. I would not be surprised if right wingers objected that exposing U.S. torture practices was objectionably "political" in this election season.
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