The Oath
- Posted: 31st Mar 2011
- Category: Reviews
- Tags: laura poitras, my country my country, trilogy, yemen
by Laura Thornley
The Oath is the second part in the proposed non-fiction trilogy addressing post 9/11 America by Oscar nominated filmmaker Laura Poitras. Based in Yemen, Poitras takes us to a complicated, thought-provoking place, and an almost unpalatable territory: Jihadi terrorism with a distinctly human, and fascinating, face.
The story follows the dramatically different paths of two men: brothers-in-law Salim Hamden and Abu Jandal, ex bodyguard and driver for Osama Bin Laden. They had in the past taken the al-Qaeda pledge of allegiance but after Hamden is arrested and detained in Guantanemo and Jandal is jailed in Yemen, their views change.
Hamden is absent throughout the film, probably due to the filming restrictions of Guantanemo. He is represented simply through his letters, family and American lawyers. The on screen star of the show is Abu Jandal, a complex, extremely enchanting character, whose political and philosophical laments do more than transfix young Yemeni men looking for something to believe in. It's obvious he thoroughly enjoys having an audience, which undoubtedly explains Poitras’ decision to go with Abu Jandal’s story (as opposed to her original idea of working with an ex-prisoner of Guantanemo). The director also does a good job at injecting elements of surprise throughout the documentary – unravelling the main subject's complex musings and cleverly crafting a storyline from these. The title may be perplexing at first but slowly double and even triple meanings are exposed.
Occasionally, the film suffers from a lack of coherence – but perhaps this is more to do with the twisting, contradictory ideas of Jandal than anything else. As the film draws to a close the inner turmoil Jandal is experiencing becomes truly visible. Poitras directs us to the notion of how irreconcilable extreme ideology can be with personal circumstances or family life on a day-to-day basis. Abu Jandal is guilt ridden about his brother in law’s fate in Guantanemo, barely able to look his children and wife in the eye.
In an era where directors often play the star of the film, Poitras is, as with her previous film My Country, My Country, dramatically absent. It’s a useful tactic which gives the subject ample room to develop naturally. What is also astounding about this film is the access Poitras gained. In a country renowned for its limited press access, she seems to have the run of things. Add that to the fact she is a woman in a very male environment and you can start to recognise the magnitude of what she has accomplished.
Dir. Laura Poitras. 90 mins. English