I saw Syriana for the third time in three days yesturday.
Remember back at the internet identity workshop in October? In the closing circle when everyone was talking about books they recommend, I floated the idea that we might have an identity movies/films to broaden the public dialogue about identity issues and raise social literacy on the issues. So, I think we have found our first film. Syriana. This movie is going to get a lot of play this spring – and will be a strong candidate for several academy awards. There are many differentidentity issues covered in nuanced ways ripe for discussion.
Does anyone want to help me work on a discussion guide? I wonder if anyone has configured a site do this sort of thing? Sort of seems like a good thing for to host on a Drupal site. I am open to volunteers to help. I will put up a page on the iiw wiki.
I am open to suggestions about what the next movie could be – perhaps one in video stores.
Syriana
Syriana: Everything is Connected – layers of identity
Who are you, what do you do, who are you loyal to and why? These deeper questions of identity weave throughout the narrative of Syriana. Yesturday I saw the movie for the second time (the first time was Saturday). As I do everything these days – I kept ‘identity’ in mind and it made it even more depth and intesnsity. I would recommend it to you all.
It is a political economy thriller (my favorite kind). It touches on a range of the complex issues of today’s world.
- A web of entrenched oil interests
- US interest in energy reserves and the rise of China
- Secret operations ‘in American interesAmerican interest’
- The lack of economic opportunity for the “youth buldge” coming of age in the Arab/Muslim world with no hope of a good job there for no hope of getting married and having “a life.”
- The intense living conditions of migrant workers throughout the middle east.
- How corporate acquisitions and flexibility affects peoples lives – ‘letting them go.’
- When work disappears and religious “institutions” become appealing life options leading to young men willing to kill themselves for ‘the true faith.’
- When emir’s pick their successor based on the preference of Texas oil firms, their law firms and American ‘government interest.’
- When flights flying far above and missiles can take out the one car with the one guy they don’t want around any more.
Identity arises again and again. I am going to write more about this after I see it a third time today.