This year sees the release of two films based on the Utøya island attack – but what can a film based on real events tell us that documentary footage or eyewitness testimony cannot?
The question of how to approach human suffering on camera has confounded film-makers for decades. There’s no blueprint when it comes to turning news stories into cinema, and while the likes of Schindler’s List and 12 Years a Slave have been praised for providing insight into historical atrocities, in recent years, attention has turned to events that are fresh in our collective memory.
In many cases, this means acts of terrorism. The events of 9/11 became the narrative of United 93 and World Trade Center in 2006, while the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing inspired Patriots Day (2016) and Stronger (2017). It’s human nature to want to make order out of chaos, and these films speak to a collective yearning for answers and understanding in the aftermath of tragedy. Yet the question remains: are films based on real-life terrorist attacks opportunistic?
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2wFPDIR
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