Say what you will about Netflix taking over the film distrubution business, but it's a democratic tool that empowers the viewer. Every movie out there has an equal chance of being watched by the subscribers. Of course, there is prime display skewing the data. Major new arrivals, collaborations or Netflix productions all get displayed right as you open the application in order to maximize the amount of viewings. Interestingly enough, one of the major Netflix productions of 2013 was documentary THE SQUARE, about the Egyptian revolution. It was nominated for an Academy Award in a year where several extremely critical political documentaries were nominated, but none of them won. It's a superficial wound though as the nomination served its purpose: people in America are now aware of the courageous and costly struggle of the Egyptian people against their own government.
It's been a while since Egyptian people could enjoy any real form of political freedom. President Hosni Mubarak's reign of terror lasted for about 30 years. The population was hungry, dispossessed and terrified of his secret police. THE SQUARE opens as peaceful protesters are gathered in Tahrir Square, demanding the resignation of President Mubarak. The protest is getting bigger and bigger until the square is gorged with human bodies. Over seventeen days, the protest kept going, became a self-sufficient organism with street cuisine, prayer circles and even barber shops. On February 11, Mubarak finally decided to satisfy the people and step down, which flooded the streets with joy. But it was only the beginning of the revolutionary's problems as the issues of their beloved country were rooted somewhere way past their president. THE SQUARE is the story of Ahmad, Khalid, Magdy, Ramy and Aida, four revolutionaries with dreams of a better Egypt.
I can't speak for everyone, but prior to my viewing of THE SQUARE, my understanding of the Egyptian revolution was PROFOUNDLY flawed. I thought it was over after the fall of Mubarak. What a dumb, ignorant reading of the situation. After the president resigned, the Army took over the management of the country and changed nothing. They kept the austerity, the emergency law, the secret police, everything.When protesters hit the streets again, they answered with displays of violence that will send chills down your spine. It's a heartbreaking, seemingly impossible quest it seems, to promote political freedom in Egypt. No populations should have to fight its own army. What kind of backwards, bizarro alternate universe logic is that? The military is an instrument of power by design and in a vaccuum, it serves power itself. THE SQUARE gets increasingly more tougher to watch as it goes deeper into the heart of the revolution and exposes the horrific crimes of the Egyptian army.
The Egyptian revolution isn't exactly a sexy issue in American homes, so how does one proceeds to capture the entire world's interest with a political cause? We live in a society of leisure, so nothing catches the eye like a good story. I have no doubt that THE SQUARE portrays the truth about the situation in Egypt, but it is a carefully scripted story that promotes, first and foremost, fascinating characters. My favourite was Magdy Ashour, a man born into an Islamic family, member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Magdy is obviously extremely smart and sensitive and in THE SQUARE, he fights a battle against his most deeply rooted beliefs when he witnesses what the Egyptian government does to its people. He was persecuted by the Mubarak government all his life, yet when the Muslim Brotherhood seized power, he understood not much had changed, despite trying to convince himself things would be different. He is a beautiful, tragic figure and I hope he didn't meet an untimely demise in this chaotic situation. Egypt needs men like him who are ready too see beyond their beliefs to further the common good.
Netflix is taking over your living room and there is nothing you can do about it. But as long as it's financing courageous projects like THE SQUARE, it's hard to argue against its expansion. Especially that the Egyptian crisis has been stiffled by the mainsteam media in America. Director Jehane Noujaim created a clever piece of documentary cinema that should catch the viewers' fickle attention in the age of social media, using some traditional storytelling techniques. It's a beautiful, disturbing documentary about one of the most blatant injustices going on in the world right now. THE SQUARE exposes everything that can do wrong with putting your trust in public officials. The tragedy of it is that it all happened in one country and that the situation is still not resolved.