The Square is an Oscar-nominated documentary about the revolution in Egypt. Premiering last year, the film was released last week as a Netflix Original and is available for streaming.
Following the experiences of a handful of protesters from diverse backgrounds, the film immerses the viewer in the Tahrir experience: from the popular taking of the square, to Hosni Mubarak stepping down, to the rise and fall of Mohamed Morsi.
The documentary is not a history lesson, as such. Though providing a year-by-year framework, it doesn't attempt to deliver a summary or political analysis. The approach here is tactile, immediate, emotional. The viewer isn't shown the events; the viewer is placed in them. One gets a sense of what the main characters are going through - their own views of the situation and how, with others, those views sometimes concur and sometimes collide.
The Square achieves its goals. It's probably as close as one can get to the actual events. And despite the horrendous circumstances, the movie is nicely and clearly shot. There were moments when I found myself thinking, "How in the hell is she holding the camera still?" The quality of the filming speaks to the risks and courage of those involved in the project.
Because of the limited historical context, newcomers might be advised to brush up on some of the basics of what Egypt has undergone since 2011. I mention this just as a suggestion. One can still manage without doing so.
Of principal importance is getting to watch up close people defy political and military power in an organized, sustained way. What is on display is a lesson and an example to learn from, to take inspiration from. As one of the main characters, actor/activist Khalid Abdalla, says about his fellow protesters: "They know what future they want to build, and they know how to build it - instinctively."
The word "instinctively" was well chosen. This goes for populations the world over; people want about the same things, and the governance they want is commonly not the governance they have. It is for this reason power remains forever resistant to change and vigilant against organization.
The Square (Netflix streaming)
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/70268449?mqso=81467593
Interview with director Jehane Noujaim
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/20/square-egypt-documentary-oscars-nominee-noujaim
In a 2011 blog post (Feb. 12), I recommended the Al Jazeera documentary Egypt: Seeds of Change, which looks at the April 6 Movement and how the people of Cairo initially occupied Tahrir Square. It's an excellent film and provides some background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXUIId2I-8U
