Liberty Bound

Presented in the form of a post-9/11 personal odyssey through America, Christine Rose's homespun political documentary Liberty Bound asks whether the Bush administration has used the 2001 terrorist attacks to whittle away at Americans' individual freedoms. This somewhat dated 2004 film combines archival footage with comments from such notable critics as Michael Ruppert and historian Howard Zinn (whose sharp but gently-expressed observations prove, as usual, to be quietly devastating), together with Rose's own narration (presented with an almost wide-eyed naiveté). But the segments likely to elicit the strongest reaction from viewers are the interviews Rose conducts with people who feel their rights have been violated, including a man who was nearly taken off a train for expressing unpopular opinions during a discussion, and a Navy veteran who was visited by Secret Service agents investigating some of his e-mails. Many will feel that Liberty Bound goes too far when it asks if there are fascistic aspects to U.S. policy (in the process comparing Bush to Hitler), but the documentary's deliberately provocative point of view is presented in an effectively down-to-earth way, overall. Sure to invite animated debate, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)