Cerebral Cinema is a blog that is dedicated to cinematic experiences that encourage discussion and debate about our current reality. Each year, I have explored movies that challenge us to question the government and systems in our society. This year, Amazon pictures released the Report. The Report is a movie that explores our government's policy regarding Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. The movie explores well beyond basic questions about the morality of waterboarding. What I found interesting is the theme of systemic transparency, and how long it takes for the truth to prevail.The movie explores the CIA and deep state operatives. It sheds light on bi-partisan misconceptions. The use of torture was kept a secret by the Bush and Obama administrations. For all of the accolades, President Obama has received for his sense of decency, this will be the first movie that provides an assertion that all Presidents make key mistakes in their administration. How history chooses to expose their mistakes is what can mislead our sense of justice. President Obama has been criticized for the ethics of his Drone warfare strategy. This movie sheds some light on his willingness to work with the CIA to ignore criticisms of torture. The movie goes so far as to suggest he avoided publicly releasing criticisms to gain the CIA's support for reelection.
This is the problem with the two-party system. Both sides are corrupted by the process. We are taught to vilify one party more than our own affiliations. The system currently in place is over two hundred years old. It is easy for corruption to manipulate the realities that exist. It takes years before the citizenry knows the truth.
The movie credits Feinstein and McCain for enacting legislation to help prevent such a strategy moving forward. There was a lost opportunity at the end of the film to further discussion of a key talking point. We already had laws to prevent torture. What assurance can we have that history will not repeat itself?
The Report is a reminder about the value of Civics classes. I have been a critic for 20 years about the dangers of standardized curriculums and testing. The lack of opportunities for our children to discuss and analyze transparency and truthfulness is a detriment to our society. Teaching critical thinking skills is the responsibility of parents and guardians of truthfulness. The Report provides the foundation for future discussions at the dinner table. Unfortunately, this movie will most likely not be shown and discussed in High Schools across the nation. A misstep in education that will hopefully change in the years to follow.
