No End In Sight is a documentary that takes a long look at the Bush Administration's handling of the war and continued military occupation in Iraq. Director Charles Ferguson won the Special Jury Prize for documentary film at the Sundance Film Festival for this well-researched and contextualized film.
The movie covers the lead up, combat and aftermath of the War in Iraq by interviewing key administration officials who were in various roles in each stage. There were many officials who declined to be interviewed, but I was surprised with the large amount of persons who decided to answer some very difficult questions. The film does have a strong viewpoint-as indicated by the name-but it is not particularly partisan. I would argue that it is not balanced in the sense that none of the speakers say that the administration handled the war and growing insurgency in the best way.
The documentary uses interview and news archive footage in a chronological order. The interview clips include the names, titles and dates of each official and participant. All participants speak on the record, with the exception of one Iraqi journalist who chose to not have his face displayed, most likely for personal security reasons. With the variety of sources, from military and security personnel to journalist interviews, Ferguson is able to give a clear picture of many major players in the decision making process.
I would recommend this film to people who may not have followed the war closely because Ferguson does an excellent job of recreating the events. I would also recommend the film to people who are interested in documentary reporting. I went to go see the film at the Landmark E Street Theater at 11th and E Street yesterday, and the film will be playing there all week. If you go see it, comment and let me know what you thought.
You can view the trailer at the film's website.
Katharine Jarmul
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