Retrograde

It is imperative that this film is seen, by any American, by any member of the human race. To be alive today and to not be aware that this is happening is a neglet that will shame us forever. The images in this film will be part of the history books. It is a shame that the mainstream conversation is ignoring how important, how deeply necessary this film is. It is full of emotion, full of complexity, the filmmaker's courage and dedication to bring this to the screen is an act to be marveled at... It is overwhelming. If by the end of the film you are not struck with a deep confusion about the nature of war, I might lose all hope in humanity.

As Retrograde became a hit in Hollywood, it became a hit list in Afghanistan," Thomas Kasza, a former Green Beret who is the foundation's executive director, told a Congressional hearing in January.

The director and producer were repeatedly warned and asked not to show the face of an Afghan National man and soldier due to the dangers of doxing him and being found out by the Taliban. They didn't listen, and that Afghan National was discovered, tortured, and killed by the Taliban as a result of this film.

I think we as a community need to hold them accountable and downvote this film into oblivion. The people that made this film and allowed his face to be shown, even after repeated warnings not to, should be held accountable.

The director ignored advice and showed faces of Afghans who worked with Americans and got at least one person killed by the Taliban so far. Others shown in the film are in hiding. Search to read newspaper reports about it and spread the news. The director should have their Emmy rescinded and should donate all profits to the victims. This was easily avoidable and would not have hurt the film. The decision to not protect people shown in the film when the danger was well-known and the director was warned by people in a position to know who saw the film before it was released is reprehensible. Shame.

As "Retrograde" (2022 release; 96 min) opens, we are at "Kabul Airport, August 2021", and the Afghan authorities have trouble keeping a large crowd under control. We then go to "8 Months Earlier" to Camp Shorab, in rural Afghanistan. The US Commander of Special Forces emphasizes that "We're in this together". We then are introduced to an Afghan Commander named Sadat, who is one of the top guys in the Afghan military... At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film from well-respected documentarian Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land", "The First Wave"). Here is looks back at the 8 months leading to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, creating a human tragedy along the way. I was expecting that this would focus on the messy and catastrophic last few weeks (not unlike, say, that other recent documentary "Escape From Kabul"). While "Retrograde" touches on it both at the very beginning and in the last 15 min., the movie 's primary focus is in fact on how the Afghan military is anxiously preparing for the withdrawal of US troops. We all know thow that went down. But the seemingly unfettered access granted to the film makers allow for a fascinating and nuanced view, as we follow Sadat and watch the increasingly desperate atmosphere. In that sense, "Retrograde" is the perfect companion documentary to "Escape From Kabul", with very little overlap and great insight on what really happened in those final months. I think you may be surprised at what you will find...

"Retrograde" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in early September to immediate critical acclaim. There is good reason why it currently is rated 93% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie started streaming on Hulu a few days ago, where I caught it. If you have any interest in geo-political events or particularly in Afghanistan, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

On how much adrenaline, cortisol and all the other neurotransmittors that tell you to get the heck out of where you are, that you can cope with...when sitting safe and sound in a cosy sofaenvironment in your own kashbah somewhere west of kabul, before you get so numb and awshocked by the defeat and depression in those ishfahanious afghan eyes, trying to get out of the home of terror and in many cases a surtain death...

i do understand the giant leaps in this production, if they tried to film it all , then the probability letting you watch this production wouldve been near zero, cause this is war correspondency at a higher level...

politially i think the u.s. Government did leave loads of troops behind, not the u.s ones, but all the collaborators within the afghan society. The desperation and dire straites evacuating head over heels they blame on, but all this couldve been planned and accuated a long time before vanishing the grounds of taliban...

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