"September Tapes" is a gritty, groundbreaking film that depicts an American filmmaker's account of his journey to Afghanistan after 9/11.
This film is so monumental because it's the first feature film to be shot in an active war zone. In fact, much of the film's footage was held by the U.S. Department of Defense, according to the film's Web site.
The plot follows fictional reporter Don Larson, an American who lost his wife in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He travels to Afghanistan nearly one year after 9/11 in an attempt to find Osama bin Laden and the truth about the war on terror.
"September Tapes" follows along the lines of "The Blair Witch Project" because it is a fictional movie shot as a documentary. The audience is aware that most of the film isn't real, but certain parts do contain the truth. Trying to sort fact from fiction is what makes this film so captivating.
George Calil plays Larson with such chilling accuracy that it is hard at times to remember this is not a real documentary. Larson is like other Americans who are angry with bin Laden and even the citizens of Afghanistan.
At one point, Larson meets with some Afghans to discuss Sept. 11. Larson becomes too enraged to continue after the Afghans insist bin Laden and al-Qaida aren't lunatics, but rational people with a clear motive. It is obvious that some of Calil's personal feelings come through in this scene, which makes it so much more realistic.
The climax of "September Tapes" comes when Larson and his translator, Wali Zarif (played by Wali Razaqi), follow a bounty hunter in search of bin Laden. Here, Larson is put to the test: He is forced to leave the city and enter the bleak desert, where he knows people are waiting to kill him.
"September Tapes" is a gripping story about the lengths someone will go to in order to find the truth. It is worth seeing not only for the powerful acting, but also for the glimpse it offers of Afghanistan's war zone.
