The CIA’s Hollywood Release: “Zero Dark Thirty”, or How People Lose Their Humanity

I was shaking as I walked out of Zero Dark Thirty, the new film about the CIA’s 10-year search for Osama bin Laden. Shaking and queasy. Wanting to hear from others in the audience, I asked people questions as they streamed out… What did they think of the film? Overwhelmingly, people answered positively… with smiles.

Did they think the film upheld or condemned torture? Some answered that it didn’t take a stand, just showed the facts. But many said they felt it upheld torture, that it portrayed it as essential to Osama Bin Laden’s capture. And what did they think of torture? While a couple people answered that they supported it outright, many said they didn’t think it was right, that America shouldn’t use torture. So how did they feel about liking a film that upholds something they would otherwise find deplorable? Several people said it’s just a movie and shouldn’t be taken so seriously. One woman said she appreciated coming to understand, from the CIA’s perspective, why they used torture. And far too often, the answer was, “It’s complicated.”

And here you have the point of this highly ideological film: to make acceptable, or perhaps “complicated,” to people who consider themselves progressive the acts of this empire, to celebrate revenge against “America’s enemies,” to get you to sympathize with the criminal monsters who are carrying out these acts and to cheer for the “protection of the homeland,” no matter the price. “For god and country,” says the Navy SEAL after killing Osama bin Laden.

While there has been some controversy about the film from different quarters, and a too small handful of sharp critics, it’s getting rave reviews from a whole range of liberal journalists. It’s already being nominated for awards, and there is buzz about Oscar nominations.

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