Strip Search (2004)

Expected more

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie was exceptional. I do believe that it was a fair film. It did point out , constitutional violations from past times in our history. This movie was not out to attack GWB. The parallel story was right on the money. Unlike some other people. I did have sympathy for both characters. The illustration basically brought out the naivety of the average American , thinking these things can not happen in our homeland. Where as the stories were parallel to a tee on purpose. It brought out the point that vogue leadership is real and perhaps a perception at the same time. I liked that they pointed out other people looking at us from thousands of miles away , do not see us as a democracy. Very intelligent film . One very important fact though , is that in our nation there is the freedom to air this film where as in China there is not.

In the post 9/11 world, fear has been indoctrinated into most aspects of our lives. Governments worldwide manipulated and capitalized on this for their own gain - financially, politically and strategically. The Bush-driven Patriot Act has seen many people (guilty and otherwise no doubt) detained, tortured and dehumanized. Since a large percentage of the population are unaware that political agendas of media owners exist, they passively believe what they see on their nightly TV news or read in their daily newspapers. They are taught to fear the unknown, to trust their leaders implicitly (because they use nice words in speeches like 'freedom' and 'family') and not to question motives.'Strip Search' is a deliberate attempt to throw the light of reality into this collective 'un'consciousness.The storyline involves parallel stories of two people being detained in custody: an American woman in China, and a Middle Eastern man in the US. By using almost exactly the same dialogue, we are shown how to think outside the usual spectrum, and to feel compassion for both people. Without the twin story of the American woman, people would undoubtedly walk away from this feel feeling a lot differently.The acting is astonishing. One feels that this film meant more than just another job to the actors involved. I admire them immensely for their efforts.Hopefully this film will change a few minds, and that as a result - the world might become just that little bit better.

This film begins in a classroom with a professor asking his students if it was acceptable to give up your rights for 1 day if the government could guarantee that it could get rid of terrorism. He then proceeds to ask the same question, but extending the time period from 1 day to 10 years.The director then examines two identical situations differing only in their location. The first scenario is of an American woman being hooded, and then abducted by Chinese security forces and then taken to an unknown location where she is asked some uncomfortable questions. The second scenario is of the same thing happening to an Arab man (they never really say which country he's from) being hooded and abducted and taken to an FBI building where he's questioned.This film is effective in asking the viewer whether the US wishes to fight any war in a manner similar to how Communist China (with no supposed civil freedoms) fights a War on Terror. Additionally, the viewer is asked whether civil liberties which have taken many decades of struggle to obtain and keep are so worthless that they can be discarded for any period of time. One of the most ironic parts of the movie is that the quote by Thomash Jefferson "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." is used by the Arab suspect in his political science thesis and then the FBI agent questioning him asks whether the use of this statement is a call to violent dissent.The problem with this film is that both scenarios use precisely the same dialog and this while initially effective gets pretty boring at the end. Also in pre-Abu Ghraib world people could be happy at the realism of the level of abuse that both parties experience, but we now know that a lot worse can and does happen.I can understand why this film isn't shown more in the US, no-one wants our country compared to Communist China, and certainly not at this time. Whether this is a valid point for not showing the film is debatable.

This was quite possibly the BEST hour of television that I have ever seen. I give major kudos to HBO for not backing down on a sensitive topic and producing a fantastic show. I admit that some of the nudity was gratuitous, but I know that using it was trying to make the situations as realistic as possible. I'm a law school student, and I was horrified that people, in our country or in others, do not protest that they have some basic human and civil rights in interrogation settings. I don't usually watch HBO because I don't like the programming, but I am glad I tuned in to watch. Again, this was a great show that everyone should watch. Make more shows like this! Don't be afraid to touch on sensitive topics.