"Taxi to the Dark Side" Painful, But Necessary

The sound of a music box twinkles hauntingly as various torture tactics are described. The sweet, crisp notes of innocence are entirely at odds with the image of a man writhing in pain, each grimace easily detectable against the stark white background. Alex Gibney's 2007 documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side" is a must see for every U.S. citizen. It explores U.S. torture in Bagram Air Base and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Gibney, a producer, director, writer extraordinaire with multiple award nominations and wins under his belt, tells it like it is. U.S. torture now has a face: Dilawar.
Gibney's story revolves around Dilawar, a 22-year-old taxi driver who disappeared from his home in 2002. Three days later, he was found dead. As the story unravels, it turns out he was entirely innocent. Dilawar's death by torture at the hands of the U.S. becomes increasingly sickening. This young man died for no reason at the hands of the world's greatest power, leaving a young daughter, wife and extended family behind. By picking out one individual, Gibney personalizes the story. The pain of Dilawar's brother and family becomes the pain of the audience.
Torture has been a hushed topic in the U.S., as Cheney had hoped with his "dark side" approach. With Abu Ghraib, it became public information and angered many. But still, as Gibney notes, 35% of the U.S. population still thinks torture is acceptable under some circumstances. This movie says otherwise.
This particular documentary carries a special weight for Gibney, as his father was an interrogator in World War II. Frank Gibney encouraged his son to take on the topic and is interviewed in the film. Frank was disgusted by current coercive interrogating strategies, which under the Bush administration included sleep deprivation, knee strikes (which killed Dilawar) and waterboarding. In his day, he built a rapport with prisoners to get them to talk, which he claims was much more effective. Including his father in the documentary made for an interesting perspective, as well as a touching note.
Growing up with Frank Gibney as a father, Gibney could've made "Taxi to the Dark Side" entirely one sided and biased, but it isn't. Former prisoners, interrogators, family, government officials, other journalists, anyone at all related to the story is interviewed or commented on. This makes for a plethora of information, and the amount of people included in the documentary is almost overwhelming. Keeping track of which soldier is which, what higher up said what is an unwelcomed task. It makes the documentary more credible, but also more confusing.
Even so, "Taxi to the Dark Side" deserves every single award it has received and more. Sure, it can be overwhelming and painful to watch at times, but torture is a part of our past and present as U.S. citizens. Gibney does a superb job documenting a touchy subject, and thankfully, the 44th president has already taken action to close Guantanamo Bay. This documentary represents the voice that need to be heard beautifully, the voices of those still imprisoned.