Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Accused of using his documentaries to play with viewers' emotions, Michael Moore brings a follow-up to his Oscar winning Bowling for Columbine and precursor to his soon-to-be released Sick-o; and emotions he does toy with, raising the temperature of his viewers to levels of orange and red.

As I watched the film for the third time, after having read the evidences backing up the claims he presents in the film, I am still shocked that the film is criticized for being unbalanced. It is of course in no way sympathetic to Presidents Bush (Sr. nor Jr.), but why should it be? The media barely touches the subjects presented in the film, sanitizing the conflicts of interest, fear-mongering, and the lies perpetrated by the current administration. This film does its best to try and balance the public record with facts that are often ignored.

Personally, the most touching part of the film are the raw images of Iraq of dead children and Iraqi civilians sharing their stories. These alone should convict the president as a war criminal.

The film failed by not succeeding to convince the American people not to re-elect Bush to a second term, despite earning record-breaking revenues for a documentary and winning the Palm d'Or at Cannes. My hope is that film makers continue making films that can scathingly portray the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, but also gain access to the general public. Change in western society has been paralyzed by entertainment, global corporations, and autocratic democracies. Truth remains, though too often shrouded, as the only living force that can mobilize good change, should we be open to accept the truth.

Official Site | IMDB