Documentary Review

“Taxi to the Dark Side” Brutal, But Needs to be Seen
By Jessica Maas

Late in “Taxi to the Dark Side,” footage is shown of former president George W. Bush telling the American public, “We do not condone torture.” The screen flashes to an interview with attorney Clive Stafford Smith, who responds with, “Footnote: Torture as defined as…” This allusion to interpretation is one major premise of Alex Gibney’s 2007 documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side,” a well-done, emotion-evoking film about the torture practices used by the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay.

The film centers on the controversy surrounding the torture practices inflicted by United States soldiers on detainees in three areas: the Bagram Theater Internment Facility in Afghanistan, the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in Cuba. Gibney uses a collection of interviews, photographs, reenactments, and archive footage to examine and tell the story of the change in policy toward suspects in the war on terror, as he simultaneously brings up questions of morality, ambiguity, and public façade.

Gibney’s use of Dilawar, a taxi driver in Bagram, as an anecdote to begin the documentary was a sound decision. Dilawar’s personal story allows for a deeper connection to the personal and sets the film up perfectly for its more general investigation of torture.

The proper balance of voices is flawlessly fused throughout the production. No one voice is heard from too many times or for too long, and the multiple voices are well-chosen and allow for different perspectives, which in turn allows for more evidence to be presented. The combination of torture victim Moazzam Beg, soldiers who participated in torture, and soldiers who simply watched the torture happening permits each of the voices to back each other up as they recount events, essentially strengthening the facts presented. Lawyers who worked with some of the detainees provide information about what was occurring outside the detention centers and establish the contradiction between what the public was being told and the decisions that were being made by the government, and archival footage and other people involved are used to back this up. His strong arrangement of voices allows Gibney to cover his bases factually and keep the story fresh.

The organization of the facts themselves becomes confusing, though. In the beginning of the documentary, the events are organized by telling the story of each camp, but as the story progresses and more of the political scene is involved, it is less clear which camp or what time period is being referred to. Text is used on the screen at the beginning of each section to indicate time and place and is helpful, but might be needed more often.

Gibney can be applauded for not shying away from the brutality that occurred, as he uses pictures and reenactments that showcase the techniques that the detainees were forced to undergo, including nudity, sleep deprivation, and severe beatings.

In light of President Barack Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo Bay, this is a must-see for citizens to get background on the events that took place there.