Bitter Lake (2015)

An experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.

Director:

Adam Curtis

Writer:

Adam Curtis

Stars:

George Bush, George W. Bush, Joanne Herring

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joanne Herring	...	Herself (archive footage)
Hamid Karzai	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mike Martin	...	Himself - Captain - British Army, Helmand 2008-2009 (as Dr. Mike Martin)
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Politicians used to have the confidence to tell us stories that made sense of the chaos of world events. But now there are no big stories and politicians react randomly to every new crisis - leaving us bewildered and disorientated. Bitter Lake is a new, adventurous and epic film by Adam Curtis that explains why the big stories that politicians tell us have become so simplified that we can't really see the world any longer. The narrative goes all over the world, America, Britain, Russia and Saudi Arabia - but the country at the heart of it is Afghanistan. Because Afghanistan is the place that has confronted our politicians with the terrible truth - that they cannot understand what is going on any longer. The film reveals the forces that over the past thirty years rose up and undermined the confidence of politics to understand the world. And it shows the strange, dark role that Saudi Arabia has played in this. But Bitter Lake is also experimental. Curtis has taken the unedited rushes of...

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Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | saudi arabia | politics | al qaeda | isis | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [United Kingdom]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

Adam Curtis: Bitter Lake

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Solaris (1972)

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Soundtracks

Diner
by Angelo Badalamenti

User Reviews

Beautiful and engrossing

Bitter Lake strives for historic synopsis over caustic polemic, despite its comprehensive narrative holding a somewhat narrow perspective. Interestingly, some of the more controversial topics that media cannot resist spinning into an overwhelming assault, like farts saturating an enclosed room, are blown past with refreshingly little fanfare while occasionally approaching, though not brazenly crossing lines into conspiracy-theory territory. A couple of times, just as I would start to feel that old familiar twinge of impending blame-placing political distraction infesting our network and cable news, it seemed the film would deftly shift gears to surpass the tumult. The film is slick and stylish, perhaps to the point of self-indulgence, but that also really sets this doc apart.