I am absolutely obsessive over movies, so I love it when I discover a movie like No End in Sight. Here is my review of this film.
It was very surprising to me that No End in Sight was not the result of a collaborative effort between five or six experienced filmmakers. In fact, it was written, directed and produced by one man- Charles Ferguson. Even more shockingly, Ferguson hasn't previously worked on any film in any capacity, not even a short film. Ferguson is a man who is most definitely entitled to the carte blanche he's surely going to get in Hollywood after the critical success of No End in Sight.
Most popular documentaries are helmed by a figure, whether it's Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock or Al Gore, who is in love with the camera and who projects their personal voice and style into everything they do. Ferguson is a polar opposite of these filmmakers. His voice can only be heard on occasion in the film, prompting interview subjects, with a timidity that is rare among makers of political documentaries. In the full versions of the interviews, which can be viewed on the DVD, his shyness is so apparent it almost seems like he's afraid of the people he's interviewing. But, I'm probably doing a disservice to him in this review by focusing on him instead of the film, so I'll move on.
This is a unique film. While many "shockumentaries" about politics are rambling, circular and gimmicky, this movie is so efficient in getting its point across it almost feels as though it's trying to contrast against the handling of the war its depicting. There is no lack of anti-Bush sentiment in media today, but very little of the criticism of the current administration goes beyond the level of "Bush is dumb." By offering depth, the movie legitimizes criticisms. Instead of saying "Bush is dumb" or " the administration is evil", this film examines a problem in real, significant ways that should cause viewers to want to take action much more effectively than its meandering or simplistic counterparts.
Maybe it's not saying anything new; people have been saying the war is unnecessary and poorly conducted for years. However, this film effectively and almost beautifully portrays how bad the situation actually is. Or as one interview subject put it, "In the beginning of the reconstruction we used to joke that there were 500 ways to do it wrong and only two or three ways to do it right. What we didn't understand is that we would be going through all 500."
