Disarm

The unsung heroes who disarm mines for a living have been celebrated in the arts, ranging from filmmaker Michael Powell's The Small Back Room to novelist Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Similarly, those who use political clout to fight the use of landmines deserve credit, just as those crippled by the blasts deserve assistance. Photojournalist Brian Liu and Mary Wareham, co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (ICBL), begin their documentary Disarm by noting that 80 countries have used or stockpiled antipersonnel land mines…and that civilians make up 86% of the casualties. The documentary shows de-mining experts at work, technicians manufacturing artificial limbs, and victims trying to get on with their lives in Bosnia, Colombia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Iraq, and Myanmar (where filming is restricted, but the directors still manage to gather the material they need). In Bosnia and Afghanistan, the filmmakers discover that some of the men defusing the incendiary devices are the very same ones who planted them in the first place. Liu's camera never flinches, capturing some post-explosion sequences that are incredibly graphic (footage of a maimed elephant is particularly hard to shake). The ICBL's Jody Williams, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for the Mine Ban Treaty, serves as the de facto narrator, pointing out during her interview that China, Pakistan, Russia, and the U.S. are among the 37 nations who have refused to sign the treaty. The soundtrack, which alternates between soothing and suspenseful, features original music by Brendan Canty of Fugazi, Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips, Múm, and Thievery Corporation. DVD extras include audio commentary by the directors, and over 40 minutes of deleted scenes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)