last years NZIFF included an unforgettable doco titled dirty wars
investigative journalist jeremy scahill telling all about a u.s. based force
4,000 strong and directly answerable to the prez and used only covertly
incredibly brave film-making i thought and a riveting cinema experience
so when this one was spotted on this years program it became a must-see
the e-team - the human rights watch emergency team - on the ground-ers
their job to investigate and report on large scale human rights violations
you would presume that would keep them busy - e.g. serbia, libya, syria
those places and 4 members of the team are the main focus of the film
anna neistadt is russian-born, multi-lingual and clearly quite formidable
she has a teenage son and a new husband - ole solang also on the e-team
the opening scenes sees them sneaking into syria to do some investigating
she dons a burka to remain discrete and then we witness her interviews
heart-breaking scenes as she gets first-hand reports of assad's atrocities
one poor woman witness to her 3 children hauled out and shot in the head
and even while talking there are jets roaring overhead and firing missiles
this is kind of what i expected - still hard to take - civilisation as we know it
and somehow so much more jarring when it's a woman suffering - and exposing
thinking - put anna neistadt up there with democracy now's amy goodman
but this is a team movie so there's others to be introduced and no doubt admired
anna's norwegian husband ole seems to have the role of anna's personal assistant
he's always there - driving, guiding, discussing, writing and being a good step-dad
another member of the team is weapons expert peter bouckaert from belgium
lives in switzerland and loves growing vegetables, tending animals - the simple life
he has a 'vast forensic knowledge of weaponry' and his knowledge invaluable
the film clearly shows how his expertise meant russia/putin could be held to account
particularly when assad used chemical weapons that could only have come from russia
we then see anna at a press conference in moscow announcing all this - brave or what?
russian journalists in attendance quite hostile to her assertions - she seemingly unfazed
though puffing on a cigarette outside afterwards indicating some degree of stress
her efforts successful though with a backdown by putin on his position of denial
the fourth member of the team featured here is new york based fred abrahams
his claim to fame and shown here is his direct questioning of slobodan milosovic
as that despot was hauled up to the international court in the hague and convicted
some interesting historical footage of that event with a much younger abrahams
impressive work and the implication that his verbal skills still put to good use
well - all very good - but - as a film it's all a bit disjointed and erratic
totally admirable in it's subject matter and a want to wax ecstatically
but i could not help thinking - what is the motivation for this film?
in the end i felt like i had just sat through the pilot for a tv series
the e-team (with obvious reference to...) - gal and 3 dudes
ncis-ish - and the promotional artwork also hollywood-ish
that aside i absolutely admire the work they do
and also the exposure to the risks they take
who am i to sit back and criticise
well - only the film in actuality
very glad to have seen it...
