Syriana

A strange movie. Melissa asked if I wanted to see it with her. I didn't know much about it, but I knew it had stirred controversy, so I figured, why not?

The style of this movie is a style I am very fond of, but it's also a style that alienates people who are looking for sound bytes. For one thing, it actually has a plot. A serially intertwined plot. It jumps right into the story with no background information, no hints, no roadmaps. Just characters interacting. It isn't at all obvious at first that there's even any connection between the shifting characters. This requires paying close attention to detail. A blink in the wrong spot could mean missing a very important detail. I absolutely loved that.

A few cautions: there is some strong language and one very graphically violent scene. In no case is this gratuitous. In some places, it would be stranger for the characters NOT to be using strong language. The torture scene...was certainly powerful. I'm not one hundred convinced it was necessary, but anything less seems inappropriate. *shrugs* Anyway, be warned.

So, what was it about? Oil. Money. Blood. And the people involved with them. I have no idea how accurate the scenario presented in the movie is, but it is frighteningly plausible. Essentially, oil interests are presented as imperialism in disguise. American monetary interests rule above all else, no matter who suffers. That sounds like our government, all right. The overall theme is that every decision affects everyone else at some level. And so it does.

One oddity: there's some sort of water symbolism going on that I didn't really get. Basically, as soon as you see water (or even a semi-clear liquid like tea), something bad is going to happen. I also wonder if the strawberry juice that some oil execs were drinking at a celebration was supposed to represent blood. It would fit this movie.

At any rate, I highly recommend this movie, for its style and for the theme of interconnectedness. I hope that it overstates the callousness of American business interests, but I suspect that it's dead on.

I found a very accurate review, but it contains more details than I would recommend for someone who has not seen the movie.