Septem8er Tapes

I think this film was very engaging, the documentary style narrative makes it easy to get attached to the characters, making the film all the more suspenseful when they wind up in a tight situation. I would like to clarify something, I have read other users reviews saying that it didn't look believable that they were shooting in Afghanistan. Well I saw this film at Waterfront film festival and had the privilege of hearing some Q & A from the director. And they really did fly to Afghanistan to make this film, and all of the interviews are not staged. I think the director did a good job of keeping the documentary side consistent and seamless with the narrative.

Just for starters, YOU take a small crew to Afghanistan, shoot a film, and get back to me. That India served as a base of operations for this film is no different than Sydney doubling for San Francisco. Get over it. I don't know what the previous reviewers are on, but I can only assume they'd be happier watching 'Independence Day' while stuffing their faces with popcorn. This film says 'Drama' right on the box. That anyone mistook it for a 'Documentary' is their own doing. In my humble opinion, this film embodies the true spirit of indie film-making. The gun play alone puts many multi-million dollar schlock films to shame. Given their limited resources, I was not at all phased by the rare weak moment in the film. To note that this film condones an 'America rules' sentimentality is ludicrous. This is a story about one man's will to seek justice for himself, and what he believes is a serving of justice for all humanity. You don't have to agree with it - you just have to accept this character's objective for what it is. As an actor myself, I would have been thrilled to have worked on this project. What a roller-coaster ride it must have been to get this in the can. I don't just take my hat off to the makers of this film - I'm throwing it up in the air too. A commendable effort that should be rewarded with due recognition if you ask me.

The interactions, particularly in Kabul are outstanding. This is definitely an area that is new to almost everybody because the major media has ignored it. When the more main stream TV correspondents go out and interview, they have a ton of equipment and plenty of armed guards. This had a much more face to face with reality feel to it. Wherever parts of it were filmed and however it was done, it projected a sense of constant danger which I suspect comes far closer to the reality of the situation than many are ready to admit.

People who like to ask the question of "why haven't we caught Bin Laden?" ought to get a sense of what we are up against after seeing this movie. And have a lot more respect for our small unit special forces who have fought and lived in this environment for years now.

Who is friend? Who is foe? Who knows exactly what is going on? The whole point of the movie is that all this is not laid out as simply as most Hollywood productions. And that point ought to be well taken.

None of the characters were particularly likable (although the cameraman comes close). But I think that was part of the point. This was not Rambo, nor was it Mother Theresa goes to save the world. The environment overshadows the individuals. Get it? Finally as far as the rather far fetched plot (certainly the ending is a stretch -- I hope that's vague enough not to be a spoiler), it's almost incidental to what the rest of the film conveys. It would have been a rather short movie if it were realistic and all three protagonists were killed in the first five minutes of the film.

I couldn't help to be blown away from this little movie. I see the obvious comparisons to Blair Witch, but films that choose to tell their story through the device of fabricated documentary have few options in which to work. I think that the characters were original and the acting was so good that I kept forgetting that I wasn't watching a documentary. Towards the end of the film I could really feel the actors' terror. I think that the film dealt with some touchy political issues and did it without being too prescriptive or heavy-handed. The main character was a little foolhardy at times, but he needed to be for the film to work... I would strongly recommend this movie, and I often do at the video store I manage.

The film is made in the style of a fictional documentary similar to Blair Witch but about a guy who wants to make a documentary by going to Afghanistan and searching for the truth about the war that has ensued since 9/11.

The style is gritty as if they were using hand held cameras, following around the main character and his interpreter through out the land searching for answers. There is decent FX, the story is easy enough to follow but with major flaw. A documentary is about a subject and not about the documentary maker so that's where the film could lost me and weakened the premise of the film entirely. If the camera were to be the main character, I think the film would have been more palatable for myself.

Even with this weakness the effort to try to make a film of this style is appreciated.