Better this World
(link to trailer)
Better this World is an amazing documentary about two young men who begin as political activists and transition into domestic terrorists by building explosives to be used at the Republican National Convention. As much of a slam-dunk as this case may seem, especially in post-Patriot act America, the story is much more complex. Rather than ruin any of it for you, I would ask that you watch the film knowing as little as possible about the case. The film is extraordinarily well made and you will be sucked into the story very quickly. It is very well edited.
My only real criticism is that they rely heavily on recreations. I don't mind the voiceover of some of their statements being read by actors, but the end credits reveal a long list of recreation actors, when I was not aware that there were extensive scenes that were not real. It makes me wonder what was real and what was a recreation, and therefore how real the recreations were.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend the film to documentary fans, and to people who are interested in political activism. There are some bizarre parallels to what is going on with Occupy Wall Street.
2 comments:
I saw that! It's a must-see.
I meant to mention this in the review, but the title is terrible. Several times the activists make reference to wanting to "better this world," but that is not at all what the film is about.
One interested point that is never explored in the film is the fact that they were charged with making "shield that could be used as weapons," which is an oxymoron. If you are going to argue that a shield is a weapon, you could make that same argument about a shoe, a cellphone,or a ball point pen.
Shields or Weapons? would have been a much better title.
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