Zero Dark Thirty - or 'The Bin Laden Film'

Zero Dark Thirty, or ‘the Bin Laden film’ as I seem to be describing it to people lately, tells of the American pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, specifically focusing on the actions of one woman, Maya. It is one of the most widely anticipated and more controversial films of 2012 (released 19^th December) and it is obvious why. Naturally, the theme of hunting down Bin Laden will stir controversy amongst many, but Zero Dark Thirty does an excellent job of keeping this to a minimum.

The first thing to mention about this film is that it is not necessarily a two-and-a-half hour adrenaline filled chase for the most dangerous man in the world. People expecting this (such as my younger brother) will be both disappointed and bored. It is probably better to expect more of a fictional documentary, and that is the best way I can describe it. The climax of the film – storming the house where Bin Laden was shot – is quite thrilling, but the rest of the film reflects the long and arduous struggle for information about Al-Qaeda perfectly. The cinematography of Zero Dark Thirty is very impressive (credit to Greig Fraser), and the director (Kathryn Bigelow, also known for The Hurt Locker) does an excellent job of reflecting a number of aspects of the hunt to the audience. As I mentioned, the struggle for information is one of them, but the best piece of direction for me comes right at the end. After the killing of Bin Laden you’d expect some massive celebration scene, such as at the end of Star Wars, but this isn't the case. Instead, Maya is sitting in a plane and starts to cry, realising perhaps that without this case she has nothing to do and nowhere to go.

This leads me on to the next thing that I immediately considered after watching the film – the lack of more general celebration. There is always a danger with these types of films that they will become less of an informative piece about the hunt for Bin Laden and more of a pro-American propaganda. Zero Dark Thirty does immensely well to avoid this. I can’t recall a single moment when there was any nationalistic undertones to the movie, which is quite a considerable achievement as it would be so easy to turn Zero Dark Thirty into a celebration of the death of Bin Laden. Obviously the creators aren't stupid enough to impose a Salman Rushdie-type backlash against them, and their treatment of this subject is very respectful. There are no vitriolic scenes of joy at the end, and the film remains polite and considered throughout.

The character (because I think she is a character) of Maya is very interesting. On some level it is a surprise that the central figure in this movie is a woman, and I think the decision to write the character as a woman was brilliant. There is a danger with a male lead that there would be vitriolic pro-American propaganda, and by casting a woman the film immediately makes you consider the whole thing a bit more. Jessica Chastain does a very good job as Maya, perfectly showing the range of emotions required. She instantly comes across as a very driven, goal-directed and dedicated woman, but she also expresses discontent at scenes of waterboarding and signs of great burden at the loss of several friends. Paralleling her character perhaps, this marks Chastain’s first major film, and I would advise you to remember the name. I have very little doubt that she will win Best Actress at the Academy Awards in a couple of days.

Zero Dark Thirty has been nominated for five Academy Awards, with Best Actress obviously being one of them. I’m fairly sure no-one reading this will be doing so to see what I think about its chances for Best Film Editing and Bets Sound Editing so I’ll skip over them. It is not surprise that it has been nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The Academy was always going to nominate Zero Dark Thirty for the first two, just because it’s ‘the Bin Laden film’. To my mind it will win Best Original Screenplay, simply because it was the best original screenplay, but it will face stiff competition from Django Unchained. Best Picture is always a bit of a mystery though. In previous years there have been surprises (The Artist in 2012) and there have been obvious winners (The Return of the King, 2003), and this year has the potential to be both. I’m not going to attempt to call it, nor to tell you what I think about it, but there is no doubt that Zero Dark Thirty is one of the favourites to win.

Zero Dark Thirty is not for everyone though, and I’d only watch it if you are interested in the hunt for Bin Laden. I don’t think it’s the kind of film that you can watch on the basis of general curiosity. You need to engage with it, and there is quite a lot to follow. However, once you get into it, it is very enjoyable and it deserves all the plaudits going its way.