Kathryn Bigelow, since the release of “The Hurt Locker”, is
no stranger to the ebb and flow of negative reviews that consume the newspaper
columns voicing the opinions of film critics. The popularity of “Zero Dark
Thirty” brought with it numerous controversial discussions as to the torturous
techniques of the CIA depicted in the movie. But, maybe just for a little
while, can we lay aside all topics of controversy and try to appreciate a movie
for what it really is?
Maya is a young officer of the CIA. Her main aim has been to
gather and extract information as to the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. The
first scene of the movie represents, in a less than subtle manner, the methods
used by the CIA to gain information from captured Pakistanis with suspected
links to the Saudi Group. The calm authority of Dan mixed with his heightened tones,
seems to add an element of sadism to the opening scene.
As the story progresses, you start to realize the almost
complete absence of background music in a lot of scenes. Unlike most mainstream
Hollywood productions, scenes fade in and out without the cue of any musical
notes setting the tone. This leaves, to complete individual interpretation, the
emotion exhibited by any character on screen. It removes the predictability of
the course a scene is about to take or the expectancy of a clichéd dialogue.
Jessica Chastain has especially done a supremely splendid job
of balancing out the key aspects of her character in being both naïve as well
as confidently bold as she is driven in her quest to catch Osama Bin Laden. We
see what appears to be nervousness in certain scenes with the captured suspects,
though they are immediately overcome by her zeal and sheer determination to
pass through the tedious maze of CIA superiors, one more skeptical than the
next, in working with the few leads she has managed to dig up. Her anti-social behaviour
works to her advantage as she appears to stay focused to the task before her.
There is present a very evident gulf in the attitude exhibited
by the other officers of the CIA as opposed to Maya. Of all the characters portrayed, she seems to
be the only one not deterred nor frightful of the consequences of the decisions
she has taken. Therein lies an interesting comparison, one that warrants much
thought.
In terms of the plot, there is only so much that a
scriptwriter can do when working with a story based completely on fact, and
carrying with it the sensitive emotions of an entire nation. Mark Boal has instead
worked heavily on the dialogues in bringing out the intensity of this hunt to
catch the world’s most wanted terrorist.
Kathryn Bigelow has once again directed a masterpiece; one
that has brought to the forefront the very extremes of human emotion in dealing
with the capture of Osama
Bin Laden. Now, more than two months after its release, an Oscar in the bag and
an objective view of the movie, I found myself wondering, “Why really is the
movie called Zero Dark Thirty?” Perhaps it has something to do with the
conventional military method of calling out time. The true reason, I shall
never know while directors such as Kathryn Bigelow and some of Hollywood’s
greats continue to baffle me in their unrelenting pursuit to direct good
cinema. Real Good.
