Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
THE REFLECTING POOL MOVIE REVIEW
Directed by: Jarek Kupsc
Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Release date: July 11, 2008 (NY), August 4, 2008 (CA), August 7, 2008 (OR), August 8, 2008 (WA), August 29, 2008 (CO)
Genre: Drama and Politics
Production Format: DVCAM 24p 4:3 on Panasonic DVX 100B
Distributor: BW Filmworks
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Writer and Director Jarek Kupsc's docudrama is the first fictional investigative film telling an accurate story challenging the official version of Terrorist Attacks upon the United States and the 9/11 Commission.
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (aka the 9/11 Commission) is an independent, bipartisan commission created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002. It is chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for the immediate response to the attacks. The Commission is also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. On July 22, 2004 the Commission released its public report. The report is available in bookstores nationwide. The 567 page report in book form is riveting, disturbing, and revealing and has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
There are claims from various investigative journalists to have discovered stunning shortcomings in the Commission's work, such as a series of oversights, omissions, and distortions that raise fundamental questions about and the governments failure to prevent the attacks. Some questions were raised that the commission was used as a ploy for the invasion of Iraq, and was a tool to minimize the criticism of the Bush administration. Whether or not these questions have validity, is up to each individual to decide.
This film provides a detail narrative of the most important investigation since the Watergate Tapes and the Warren Commission, but in a fictional documentary style format. Alex Prokov (Jarek Kupsc), is a successful idealistic journalist. As a Russian American, he is very strict in his American ideals in journalism. He reflects in a negative manner on the propaganda of the Stalin/Lennon years in Russia and takes pride and values the honesty of American news reporting (so he thinks). He receives an assignment from his editor Georgia McGuire (Lisa Black) along with a mysterious videotape revealing new information contradicting the Commission's findings on the 9/11 attack. Alex meets a mysterious man named Paul Cooper (Joseph Culp) who sent the videotape. Paul is an obsessive researcher whose daughter was a victim who died on 9/11. The contradictions are on the inexplicable collapse of the 47 story WTC Building 7, the airliner attack on the Pentagon, and the uncovering of the illegal destruction of physical evidence from Ground Zero.
The subject matter of this movie could be disturbing to some; however, this film focuses on a character study of the two men and how they deal with their findings during their investigations. One man being an idealistic writer with haunting thoughts of Russian style propaganda and another man whose life is stuck in neutral because of the loss of her his daughter. While using actual facts of the 9/11 Report as the basis of the plot, the narrative not only illustrates the obvious omissions, possible cover-ups, and disturbing distortions but illuminates the subject matter by giving it reasons for the collateral damage it caused. The exceptionally brilliant performances by lead actors Jarek Kupsc and Joseph Culp gives this stylish film a sense of suspense, but hold true to a documentary style format. Each character sets out on a preposterous journey in search of a way to find truth and reconcile their own life. The supporting cast members contribute in each scene with an intense portrayal of how 9/11 affected us all, while unraveling a series of questions.
Without being opinionated or forcing judgments on any body of government, people or country, the film assembles facts and plays to the interest of an investigation that may have merit and allows the characters to share their feelings. I found this to be a very thought provoking and poignant film that should raise many eyebrows. This challenging film definitely raised mine.
FILM RATING (B+)
|
>