6) The Square
The line between hope and despair can be a fine one, and in the case of many stories, there’s plenty of each property to make the distinction meaningless. It’s an ambivalent feeling that I suspect crops up during any historic political revolution. The Square is one of the most amazing movies from the past year because it captures images, ideas, feelings, and the horrors of a revolution in progress. Assembled from footage taken in the midst of the Egyptian Revolution, centering in Tahrir Square, between 2011 and 2013, the documentary takes us through the ups and downs of the protests, while introducing us to several major players (including actor Khalid Abdalla, whom many may recognize from United 93 and The Kite Runner, and who helped found a collective of filmmakers who were active during the revolution).
The movie is on Netflix now, as one of their first original films, and it really ought to be seen by everyone. Seldom do we get a chance to observe history as it occurs; what The Square offers is a glimpse of the personal effects of the Egyptian Revolution, and possibly all revolutions throughout history. There are feelings that all the efforts are for nothing, that the incoming government will be just as corrupt and exploitative as their predecessors, and conditions in Egypt won’t actually change. Over the course of two years, many of those interviewed in the film seem discouraged, but history seems to show that change occurs slowly, and so amid the frustration in Tahrir Square there remains some hope in the arc of history bending towards justice for the Egyptian people.
