Rama’s SCREEN

Morgan Spurlock and Michael Moore are awesome documentary filmmakers in my book. Some may say that one is redneck and the other is left wing nutjob but hey, if most documentaries are as entertaining as their movies, I would start watching that genre more without fear of falling asleep from boredom. WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN is an… interesting take to try to find the most wanted man in the planet, but instead we get a enlightening self-realization and a reminder of what we already know but often choose to ignore.

Morgan Spurlock, the creator of SUPER SIZE ME, undergoes heavy training, complete health evaluation, and full preparation to search the most elusive prize ever, hunt down OSAMA BIN LADEN. He will go from one country to another in the middle east region. The lesson he’s about to learn will be more valuable than he’s ever imagined.

You gotta hand it to Morgan Spurlock. I admire his commitment to his job as a documentary filmmaker, his creativity that gave birth to this idea or concept, his sense of humor in the midst of trouble and especially his guts for willing to travel through some of the most dangerous lands of biblical proportion.

From the beginning, you are treated with what compelled Morgan to take the trip, the question that’s on the mind of every human being, not just Americans. Will my children be born in a safe world? What kind of world would I want for my children? Some would answer the question by making a long life plan that includes installing house alarms all the way to preparing future college fund. Morgan, on the other hand, went for the big prize, to hunt down the one man who’s been a threat to freedom and everything it believes in.

When I say that this movie is a reminder is that Morgan presents some concepts that we should already know by now. Those who know history are bound not to repeat it. About how America is responsible for some of other nations’ dictators that have been around since the end of WWII.
The animations and visual effects Morgan uses to emphasize his points are engaging and informational.

He does a good job of compiling footages and incorporate them into the whole project. The route is set in a way that explains the story and leads to a simple but wise conclusion.
It’s interesting to see how some Saudi Arabians or Moroccons who happen to be Moslem turn out to be very friendly and hospitable while some of the Israelites that Morgan try to interview display hostility and resentment.

Of course, we all know that Morgan didn’t end up finding Osama. Because if he had, it would’ve been all over the news by now. The point that he’s trying to make, at least from what I understand, is that the problem is more than just one man. It’s an ideology and principle that has affected many and created more cells.

His movie also shows that fighting poverty could be a very significant way of fighting terrorism because terrorists often recruit poor kids that have no education and no money by promising them financial security for their families and eternal life in heaven.
Last but not least, there are good guys and there are bad guys in any religion or nation. There is not one place that’s all bad and not one place that’s all good. We also have to keep in mind of all the things that we have been blessed with and some things are worth doing more than others.

* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film