Educational Media Reviews Online

This outstanding documentary is a noble and praiseworthy undertaking. Each of the co-producers stayed with separate sides of the conflict: one with the LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy) and one with the Liberian government. The two, along with many others, risked their lives on a daily basis to complete this film.

The first four minutes are absolutely riveting. In this time, the audience learns of the backdrop and horrific conditions of the civil war in Liberia. There have been an estimated 250,000 casualties since 1989, the year the United States deescalated its military presence there. In June 2003, Liberian President Charles Taylor was indicted by the UN on 17 counts of crimes against humanity. He stated he would leave only after peacekeepers arrived. With months of delays and sign of no peace keeping forces, the LURD advanced on the capital of Monrovia. This documentary literally gives a minute-by-minute firsthand account of the LURD’s advance on the capital and the indiscriminant killing taking place. Mortar rockets are fired without careful aim. Aid workers and civilians must dodge bullets.

One of the most striking features of this film is the point/counter-point portion in which the producers have alternated interview segments of Charles Taylor with interview segments of Charles Crane, prosecutor for the special court of Sierre Leone. The editing is marvelous and the portion unfolds nearly as if the two men are in the same room.

I enthusiastically give my highest recommendation to this painstaking piece of work. The producers and all involved with making this film should be praised for their courage and resolve. The film gives a deep exploration of the civil war on a personal level and on a global level. The film also investigates the stalling by foreign powers who pledged peacekeeping support. Audiences need to be aware that in order to accurately convey the events of this conflict, the producers included graphic scenes of violence and mutilation.