Thirty shades of grey

The moral ambiguity in real life historical events seems to be a big theme among this years Oscar nominees. This is perhaps no more true than in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, which depicts the events that ultimately led to the finding and killing of Osama Bin Laden. Covering nearly a decade of history, the film claims to be giving an accurate representation of these events based on CIA reports, even if they do not always paint our country in the most favorable light.

The first half of the film focuses on the investigation and interrogation of several suspects hoping that they will divulge information on Bin Laden's whereabouts. Most of the film's controversy centers around the fact that the questioning of these suspects reportedly also involved torture tactics like waterboarding. Bigelow pulls no punches in her depiction of these scenes, which can often be difficult to watch. And yet, the film doesn't try to make the argument that torture is effective. Ultimately our discovery of Bin Laden was more due to dumb luck of finding key information in a lost file than it was by anything given up by detainees who were tortured.

Let me be clear that I in no way support these torture tactics, and yet from the perspective of the film's narrative I had almost wished that the torture had been more successful. The film spends a long time depicting the various dead ends the CIA deals with in trying to find Bin Laden. The resolution to this just falls flat and disappointing. I understand that history can't always provide the perfect Hollywood story, but I question why the film chose to spend so much time on this part of the story when it doesn't provide a proper payoff. I should also mention that the storytelling is also hurt by the fact that Bigelow chose to place the date on the screen before each key event. If you're someone who follows the news at all, then you would immediately recognize the dates and understand what was about to happen before it actually did occur on screen.

At the center of this investigation is a woman named Maya, played by Jessica Chastain. Maya may be a real life figure or an amalgam of many individuals involved. Chastain does her best to illustrate the steely resolve of this woman. She is committed to solving this case and will not let anything stop her. As strong as the performance is, I also would have liked more insight into what was driving her. Obviously, there were other people besides her who wanted to see Bin Laden dead, so what made her go on despite the numerous setbacks she deals with. Had there been more background on her personal life or even her career prior to 9/11, then I may have appreciated her determination that much more.

But for as frustrating as the first half of this film is, it turns around in the second half as it shifts towards planning the attack on the compound that is believed to be housing Bin Laden. At this point, the drama is ratcheted way up and is utterly captivating. It begins with the quest to get some sort of tangible evidence to confirm that he is actually inside this building. As the film progresses to Seal Team Six's actual raid, you find yourself getting completely caught up in the story, even though you know exactly what is going to happen. Though I wouldn't go so far as to say it is exploitative, I was actually surprised with how much of Bin Laden being killed was depicted. Some will find some catharsis in this, while others may cringe at the cold savagery of the events.

This is not the easiest film to watch and I certainly don't see myself seeing it again, especially any time soon. However, there's no denying that Kathryn Bigelow is a talented director. In both this film and her Oscar winning effort for The Hurt Locker she has proven that she knows how to effectively present this particularly period of our history. She finds a way of making you feel as if you're are right there amid all the action. And while some will criticize her and the film for its debated accuracy, I believe that a film like this should be seen so that productive conversations can be had both about the actions of our country and the film itself. I applaud the director for her effort to bring this subject matter out of the dark and into the light. Grade: B