Presented by the Bijou Film Board, and as part of Bijou's Film Forum program.
FREE for UI students (present student ID at box office) and $7.00 for the general public!
"'The Oath' makes spare use of images to convey a great deal. Al-Bahri's smiling child is surrounded by lethal weapons that are little more than toys to him. The color-drained skies of Guantanamo are juxtaposed with the lively Yemeni street scenes." - Seattle Times
"A documentary that at its start purports to be the tale of two terrorists, the film keeps deepending and widening until it becomes a subtle, stubborn moral drama about users and the used." - Boston Globe
"Just how deep inside Jandal's world Poitras goes is all the more striking given the inherent cultural barriers and danger she faced as a female filmmaker shooting a former Al Qaeda operative in Yemen." - Los Angeles Times
The Oath is a spectacularly gripping documentary that unspools like a great political thriller. Abu Jandal is a taxi driver Sana’a, Yemen; his brother-in-law Salim Hamdan is a Guantanamo prisoner and the first man to face the controversial military tribunals. Jandal and Hamdan’s intertwined personal trajectories--how they became bin Laden’s bodygaurd and driver respectively--as as prisms that serve to explore and contextualize a world which has confounded Western media. As Hamdan’s trial progresses, his military lawyers challenge fundamental flaws in the court system. The charismatic Jandal dialogues with his young son, Muslim students, and journalists, and chillingly unveils the complex evolution of his belief system post-9/11.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in or to participate in this program, please contact the Bijou Film Board in advance (@bijoufilm on Facebook or at (319) 335-3041).