Standard Operating Procedure
WHAT
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
WHEN
OPENS JUL 3
WHERE
PALACE VERONA, 17 OXFORD ST, PADDINGTON
WATCH THE TRAILER
HERE
Deep breath. Okay. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE is a horror film first and documentary second.
Too many documentaries are mediocre films on amazing subjects. But Errol Morris, critical darling of the doco-scene for decades, is a master - and now puts those held responsible for the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib under his microscope. Morris' interviews seem like interrogations: you can even see the awkward twitching at the edges of his subject's smiles as they eyeball the camera.
The fact that the re-enactments of abuse are filmed with overexposed, hyperstylish Hollywood sheen will cost Morris some fans, who'll no doubt claim it's just another kind of propaganda - but that misses the point that S.O.P is precisely about the power of images. It was TIME magazine that said there'd be no more effective al-Qaeda recruitment tool than these pictures of naked prisoners next to cheesy grins ...
It's exhausting to watch. After seeing STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE, it'll be a long while before you'll think that watching the SAW franchise makes for a fun Saturday afternoon. It made me want to cancel my subscription to the human race all together.
Format: Cinema
Mood: Make a therapy appointment now
Keywords: Errol Morris, War
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