Doctors of the Dark Side

Producer-director-psychologist Martha Davis is on a mission in this somber, angry, yet absolutely non-hysterical documentary, to expose "torture doctors" within the American medical and psychiatric establishment who formalized techniques of "enhanced interrogation," such as sleep deprivation and waterboarding, on behalf of the Pentagon and CIA. Doctors who, moreover, were actually present for paperwork and monitoring during the infamous prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and similar ordeals at Guantanamo Bay—often involving detainees who proved to be innocent. Narrated by actress Mercedes Ruehl, Doctors of the Dark Side argues that this ugly collaboration represents one of modern American medicine's most shameful episodes, as noir-ish tableaux with actors depict/suggest the methodologies for mental and physical torments (with disclaimers that the reality is commonly worse). Some military officers, whistleblowers, and doctors earn praise for not going along with torture, but we are told that harsh policies continue as much under Obama as the Bush-Cheney administration. Although military lawyers and activists appear as interviewees, the shadowy architects of enhanced interrogation—not surprisingly—do not. Davis outs them anyway, using courtroom drawings when photos are unavailable. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. A deeply troubling documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)