Jehane Noujaim's The Square was a 2013 nominee for Best Documentary. The title references Tahrir Square, a Cairo thoroughfare that became a symbolic stronghold for dissenters protesting against the longstanding military regime of the repressive Mubarak government. In 2011, during the “Arab Spring” uprisings throughout the Mideast, a coalition across Egypt's social spectrum gathered to demand reform. A trio of key dissenters are followed here: Ahmed, a college student; Khalid Abdalla, a celebrated actor who appeared in The Kite Runner; and Magdy, who is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood party, but risks his own safety along with all the others from different backgrounds in order to make a better Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood ultimately prevails by popular ballot as the new ruling order, and nearly as quickly is judged to be as bad as the previous dictatorship. While some viewers might see this as a specifically Arab scenario, there's a heartbreakingly universal lament delivered by Ahmed: "Enough of this! All the politicians are failures. The Muslim Brothers, the Salafis, the Socialists, the Liberals, they're all failures!” Someone could carve that on any obelisk, including the Washington Monument. Vital election-year viewing, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes and never-before-seen footage (92 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this excellent Oscar-nominated documentary.] (C. Cassady)
This title is included in our list of films that teach about Africa