Retrograde

On how much adrenaline, cortisol and all the other neurotransmittors that tell you to get the heck out of where you are, that you can cope with...when sitting safe and sound in a cosy sofaenvironment in your own kashbah somewhere west of kabul, before you get so numb and awshocked by the defeat and depression in those ishfahanious afghan eyes, trying to get out of the home of terror and in many cases a surtain death...

i do understand the giant leaps in this production, if they tried to film it all , then the probability letting you watch this production wouldve been near zero, cause this is war correspondency at a higher level...

politially i think the u.s. Government did leave loads of troops behind, not the u.s ones, but all the collaborators within the afghan society. The desperation and dire straites evacuating head over heels they blame on, but all this couldve been planned and accuated a long time before vanishing the grounds of taliban...

the grumpy old man recommends.

As "Retrograde" (2022 release; 96 min) opens, we are at "Kabul Airport, August 2021", and the Afghan authorities have trouble keeping a large crowd under control. We then go to "8 Months Earlier" to Camp Shorab, in rural Afghanistan. The US Commander of Special Forces emphasizes that "We're in this together". We then are introduced to an Afghan Commander named Sadat, who is one of the top guys in the Afghan military... At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film from well-respected documentarian Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land", "The First Wave"). Here is looks back at the 8 months leading to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, creating a human tragedy along the way. I was expecting that this would focus on the messy and catastrophic last few weeks (not unlike, say, that other recent documentary "Escape From Kabul"). While "Retrograde" touches on it both at the very beginning and in the last 15 min., the movie 's primary focus is in fact on how the Afghan military is anxiously preparing for the withdrawal of US troops. We all know thow that went down. But the seemingly unfettered access granted to the film makers allow for a fascinating and nuanced view, as we follow Sadat and watch the increasingly desperate atmosphere. In that sense, "Retrograde" is the perfect companion documentary to "Escape From Kabul", with very little overlap and great insight on what really happened in those final months. I think you may be surprised at what you will find...

"Retrograde" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in early September to immediate critical acclaim. There is good reason why it currently is rated 93% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie started streaming on Hulu a few days ago, where I caught it. If you have any interest in geo-political events or particularly in Afghanistan, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

This documentary lead to the torture and murder of one of the mine clearers by the Taliban because they didn't hide his identity despite being warned 5 times.

The Director Matthew Heineman and Producer Caitlin McNally need some good legal action or prison time. They could've easily avoided this by physically obscuring their identity with maybe even a head scarf, or in post production just let the bloody editor blur their faces. Of course none were done for personal gain.

The Director Matthew Heineman and Producer Caitlin McNally should lose their emmy and be blacklisted from any production company having violated confidentiality of those they were filming and endangering their lives in spite of protests from those they filmed. They didn't care about the safety of those they filmed and have gotten one known person killed and possibly more for the sake of their project.

"Retrograde" is a deeply moving and powerful film that offers an intimate look at the human cost of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The film's focus on the faces of those affected by the conflict allows viewers to see the suffering, tension, and desperation of the people on the ground. The film follows a group of Green Berets as they prepare to leave their base in the Helmand Province, and focuses on the struggles of Commander Sami Sadat as he continues the fight against the Taliban after the American withdrawal. The film is beautifully shot and features a haunting score that adds to the overall sense of mourning and loss. Overall, "Retrograde" is a poignant and thought-provoking film that is not to be missed.

This documentary covers the final months of the Afghan war. It starts by showing US Green Berets working with the Afghan Army and one of its rising star Generals. It offers great insight into the teamwork of the US Afghan coalition in the war. The film takes a turn when the US decides to pull out of the conflict. We see the rushed retrograde of the US Military and its effect on the moral and logistics of the Afghan Army. The rest of the film follows General Sadat as he tries to keep a brave face and keep his men fighting. Unfortunately, renewed Taliban attacks after the Americans leave are too much for the nascent democracy to handle. The humanitarian disaster that follows is heartbreakingly examined in this film. A solid documentary.