Mpls./St. Paul International Film Festival:" "The Oath"

For a lot of Americans, the idea of giving any thought to what the daily lives of the people our forces are fighting against in Iraq are like, and what their hopes and dreams are like, isn't something that consumes much of their time. They're just "the enemy", they're not people. We don't want to complicate our thoughts with the idea that not all of them adhere to the Al-Quieda party line or approve of the actions their government takes. And we CERTAINLY don't want to think about why those who do approve think they're justified, beyond the old "they hate our freedoms". But if we're going to live in the same world as them, we've got to understand them, and the new documentary "The Oath", playing twice at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival, goes a long way towards that end.

This is the story of two brothers-in-law, Abu Jandal and Salim Hamdan. Abu was Osama Bin Laden's personal bodyguard and now works as a taxi driver in Yemin, occasionally being interviewed on TV news programs about his thoughts on jihad and why he still has some affection for Bin Laden. Salim became disillusioned with much of his former cause, coming to be convinced that military action was one thing but that anything like 9/11 that killed innocents was just plain evil and wrong. He provided some valuable intelligence (actually USEFUL) to U.S. forces, wound up spending 7 years in Guantanamo, and now just wants to live a quiet life away from the spotlight. The "compare and contrast" between the two makes for a fascinating film.

It's very enlightening to watch the conversations between Abu and his friends, especially the younger ones, who keep asking him in wonder how he could still be so enthusiastic about what a good guy Bin Laden was and why he supports him... and watch their puzzled incomprehension as he tries to explain. It's also a little scary to see him perverting the Koran's teachings in the lessons he gives his young son, talking about Jihad and the importance of fighting against your enemies. (And if anyone is asking "what does he know about the Koran?" the answer would be that I HAVE read it, back in September of 2001, because I wanted to have some ammunition to fire back against the ignorant voices I knew were going to be talking about what it supposedly said.) But the most significant thing, I think, is the way so many of his buddies can't even comprehend his devotion... they're just as devoted Muslims as he is, but they're aware of the gap between what the Koran teaches and what Bin Laden teaches. They don't necessarily disagree with what been said about the errors of U.S. foreign policy, they just profoundly disagree about the right way to react to it.

Then there's Salim. He was Bin Laden's driver and never quite picked up his brother-in-law's dedication, and what little he had cleary disappeared before too long. Never involved in Al-Quieda, he nevertheless spent 7 years in Guantanamo after helping U.S. forces with his information and still came out without a profound resentment of the west. The contrast with his brother-in-law is fascinating to observe, as are the letters they exchanged during his years of imprisonment (Salim at one point bluntly tells Abu "Mind your own business" regarding some of the comments he's made on Yemin television). There are multiple sides to all of these complicated issues even in the middle of "enemy territory", and it's good to be reminded of that.

As I've probably implied already, in addition to its observations on politics, war and religion, "The Oath" also works well simply as an essay on family. Ever had one or more relatives who make you wonder if you could possibly REALLY be related at all? You have nothing on these two. With their nearly polar opposite world views, they're still family, and their respect for the traditions of family (almost the only things they share) compel them to act as such. B=Plus, they actually do love each other, even if they don't UNDERSTAND each other. Family dynamics are complicated, aren't they? They don't always make for an easy life, but as here they can often make for a very interesting film.

There aren't nearly as many people who are documentary fans as there are of narrative features (something I;'ve never really understood, since non-fiction books often outsell novels). But when you have an absorbing subject (or, in this case, several absorbing subjects, really) they provide a "story" as interesting as any a writer of fiction could dream up. With "The Oath",Director Laura Poltras has given us exactly that. And if you're at all interested in how we as a nation can hope to get along in a world where many others don't share our beliefs and aren't going to, this is an important film to check out.