"Fire" is about today

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For L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein, the Toronto Film Festival movie "that had the most indelible connection to current events was Catch a Fire, the much-praised Phillip Noyce drama set in 1980s-era South Africa.

"When a friend asked what it was about, I told him it was the story of a country so traumatized by its fight against terrorism that it arrests and tortures an innocent, peace-loving man, doing such a good job of infuriating him that when he's released from prison he becomes the most ardent terrorist of all.

"My pal joked: 'So, it's really about today.' And so it is. The parallels are striking, whether your point of view takes you to the horrors of Abu Ghraib, Israel's war with Hezbollah or the repressive regimes of Egypt and Iran. As Noyce acknowledges, 'This is a story that's set in 1980, but it's also set in 2006.'"

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 18, 2006 at 2:45 PM

comment #1

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

It reminds me of an ex-president trying to stop a TV miniseries!

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at September 18, 2006 3:08 PM

comment #2

Nicol D says ...

So then the people who love this film think Hezbollah and the repressive regimes of Egypt and Iran are all innocent?

Unbelievable!

Posted by Nicol D at September 18, 2006 3:42 PM

comment #3

JD says ...

This parallel is a ridiculous reason for liking this lifeless, utterly predictable and heavy-handed -- yet beautifully shot -- film. I don't know why Jeff loves this film so much. It really is a dud, no matter how much it has in common with current political events.

And don't play dumb, Nicol D. If you don't understand the connection to current events, you're clueless. It's an unassailable fact that many, many innocent people have been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in the name of "the war on terror." Of course, there are also very real, dangerous terrorists out there, but they have nothing to do with this analogy. They will be terrorists no matter what the US does. There are, however, many innocent people people being radicalized by the senseless violence and injustice that the US military keeps perpetrating against the Middle East. Even most pundits for the right acknowledge that problem.

Posted by JD at September 18, 2006 3:54 PM

comment #4

corey3rd says ...

wasn't that the title of the Bob Marley pic that's still in development?

Posted by corey3rd at September 18, 2006 4:00 PM

comment #5

Nicol D says ...

And...maybe there are many innocent, neutral people who are becoming more pro-war due to incidents like 9/11 or the outrageous way proponents of 'the religion of peace' are taking Pope Benedict's comments out of context and calling for his murder.

Relativism works both ways. Not just only when America can be the villain.

Posted by Nicol D at September 18, 2006 4:03 PM

comment #6

north holly says ...

nicol - no one said it doesn't work both ways. it was pointed out that what happens in the movie in one context can also be seen as a reflection of things that are happening elsewhere. there's no need to jump in and say "oh yeah? well other things happen too!" -- i've read all the comments above and don't see quite what you're rushing to the defense of.

Posted by north holly at September 18, 2006 4:14 PM

comment #7

D.Z. says ...

Nicol: "So then the people who love this film think Hezbollah and the repressive regimes of Egypt and Iran are all innocent?"

Well we can't all be as honorable as U.S.-backed Latin American death squads and Middle Eastern dictators...

"And...maybe there are many innocent, neutral people who are becoming more pro-war due to incidents like 9/11 or the outrageous way proponents of 'the religion of peace' are taking Pope Benedict's comments out of context and calling for his murder."

Why can't those Muslims be as tolerant as the bishops who decided to annoint a former Hitler Youth as Pope?

Posted by D.Z. at September 18, 2006 10:30 PM

comment #8