Two years of the Egyptian revolution, told through the eyes of revolutionaries, including Khalid Abdalla, star of The Kite Runner (2007). If your country's been through a revolution, you'll see innumerable correlates - how dictatorship is a disease, and as long as you don't eradicate the disease, toppling one dictator will only lead to empowering another. The persistence of Egyptians fighting for their ideal government is admirable, but the film slyly avoids discussing the most controversial aspect of the ordeal: the concept of the military bringing down a democratically-elected president (Morsi), when that president turns out to be a despot.
Mo says:
I had to join Netflix to see this but it was worth it. What a brilliant documentary it is and if there awards to be had surely this one should win.
ReplyDeleteI live in a country where most people are bored silly with politics, we have learned to put up with whatever the present government throws at us. There is the odd protest but they are rare.
I found the struggles of the Egyptians inspiring and I hope they never again become complacent and keep fighting for their rights. Now that kids play "revolution" I suspect the country will eventually get the Government it deserves.
Since I've seen how the Iranian revolution worked, I've come to believe that revolutions inherently are not a good thing; rather, a movement to change and modify the current infrastructure is a more efficient way for progress. I too found it very inspiring that the Egyptians toppled three dictators one after the other in a matter of two years (as opposed to Iran, where the majority suddenly acquiesced to Khomieni as the next dictator who succeeded the Shah) - but seriously, the Egyptians can't go on doing this forever. Their country needs some sort of stability so they can get to work. Every revolution means starting from zero.
DeleteBTW, it's great that you've signed up for Netflix. You'll find yourself in an ocean of stuff to watch.
DeleteEgypt is sadly still in chaos and with the three year anniversary of the original protests approaching I expect more upheaval. I agree they need stability but I don't see it coming anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteYeah, netflix is great, I have been on a documentary frenzy since signing up, I finally got to see Bowling for Columbine! Dirty Wars was a real shocker. Art of Conflict is an excellent documentary on the "troubles" in Northern Ireland told through the murals painted by both sides of the conflict, a real eye opener.
Actually, I went back to see if there are any documentaries I can recommend on Netflix, and noticed you've seen and commented on almost all the ones I found worthy of recommending! Apparently in addition to a gore-fest lover, you're a documentary lover too!
DeleteBut I'll check out "Art of Conflict" too. Thanks.