Timely, pressing, important. Oscar-nominated director
Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land) returns with City of
Ghosts, one of the tautest, most gripping documentaries in years. The
film barely lets you breathe as it delves into the reality, tragedy, and cost
of those fighting ISIS in Syria.
City of Ghosts tells the story of “Raqqa
is Being Slaughtered Silently,” a group of citizen journalists taking on the
extremists who have turned their hometown into the “capital of ISIS.” Using
hidden cameras, clandestine internet connections, and social media, they
document and expose the daily conditions and atrocities. Through their efforts,
they group shows the world outside the reality of life in Raqqa, though it comes
with an astronomical price tag. This is a story of everyday people battling
against insurmountable odds.
Many of the founders live as marked men—those who haven’t
been found and killed, live in exile and in hiding, moving from safe house to
safe house. They depend on brave undercover assets for up to date information,
and their task becomes increasingly harrowing as friends and family die and lives
hang in the balance. Beyond those dangers—as if that’s not enough—they must
contend with the rising tide of global racism thwarting their efforts, creating even more hazards, and making it more difficult to present their case to the world.
Interspersed with RBSS’ on-the-ground footage, Heinemann’s
camera captures the lives of those in exile. On the surface, it’s rather
mundane—they mostly sit in nondescript hotel rooms, working on laptops,
occasionally taking phone calls. But the heavy weight they bear is obvious, and
chilling moments suck the air out of the theater—watching one man watch footage
of ISIS execute his father is a visceral gut-punch like few I’ve ever experienced
on film. The only comparisons that even come close are Joshua Oppenheimer’s
The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence.
At the same time as RBSS is forced to live in the shadows
and scuttle quickly to safety as threats continue to arise, Heinemann captures
fleeting glimpses of normalcy and joy and touches of human warmth, like a quick
moment of sweetness between a husband and wife. This illuminates why they
persist—and why they can’t stop, drive home the true stakes, and illustrate the
continuing importance of journalism. Vital and insistent, City of
Ghosts is a movie that haunts you long after walking out of the theater.
[Grade: A]
This is an expanded version of a capsule review that originally
ran in The Seattle Times.
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