Control Room DVD Review:

I sat down to watch Control Room with little previous knowledge of the filmmaker or the views which they held, and unlike some of the documentaries that have been acclaimed lately, for most of the film I felt that there was a chance for both views to be heard. Control Room shows the inner workings of Al Jazeera, the largest Arab news network, during the war in Iraq, and works to tear down any misconceptions about the intentions of the station, but at the same time we hear a very convincing apposing view. While I have no doubt about the final opinion of the filmmaker, I must commend them for not attempting to skew the subject to fit their opinion as many “documentary” filmmakers have done in the years recently.

The film starts with the warning President Bush gave to Saddam Hussein, but it is seen through the eyes of the Al Jazeera workers as they watch in
anger. In fact, most of the film is seen through their eyes, which seems very important for Americans to see. Regardless of your views on the war it seems important for all Americans to see how some people viewed the events. The key point of the film is that everyone only saw what the station in their country wanted them to see. Some may argue that Fox news is far worse than even Al Jazeera in that respect.

Press liaison Lt. Josh Rushing provides the opposing view in the film, and he honesty seems to believe in everything he says, which is a stark
difference from some of the interviews of political figures in the film. He also seems to honestly care about the people in Iraq and by the end of the
film Lt. Rushing has become a strong moral character regardless of what view you may hold.

Some of the most powerful images in the film are that of the carnage that was shown on the station. One day there is strong and graphic footage of
American soldiers being questioned and shown dead. The next day they showed Iraqi victims of a bombing. While both are equally horrendous it is
interesting to hear Lt. Rushing muse over the fact that he couldn’t help but be more moved by the American death. It is honest and powerful, as well as being an issue we would hate to face within ourselves.

There are never any solid answers in the film. They never answer for sure whether Al Jazeera placed propaganda in their station or just filmed the
truth. The film never shows whether or not the death of Al Jazeera correspondent was intentional or accidental. None of these questions are answered, making for a very interesting and very important documentary.

Control Room was successful at Sundance and Lincoln Center's New Directors/New Films, and although it didn’t have the same wide theatrical
release that other documentaries are receiving, now that it is on DVD there is no reason everyone can’t see it. There is a commentary track and
additional scenes as well, for those who want more.

Ryan Izay

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