On the Line

With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominating the news during the past several years, it's easy to forget the still-simmering controversy over the School of the Americas/Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), an agency of the U.S. Army that trains Latin American soldiers. Critics of WHINSEC have long argued that the school is responsible for offering courses in torture, and each year a protest is held outside of its headquarters in Fort Benning, GA. Peter Glenn and Jason A. Schmidt's documentary On the Line is rich in A-list name power, including Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Sister Helen Prejean (who was portrayed by Sarandon in Dead Man Walking), and former Congressmen Bob Barr and Tony Coelho. However, the real focus here is on Brian DeRouen, a once-apolitical graduate student whose decision to become involved in the 2004 Fort Benning protest leads him to commit a fairly benign act of civil disobedience (trespassing on the Army base) that results in his arrest and a four-month prison sentence. DeRouen is an articulate spokesman, and the filmmakers' detailing of his case evolves into a larger argument about the repercussions of openly questioning U.S. policy during the post-9/11 Bush-Cheney years. DVD extras include deleted scenes, extended speeches and interviews, and a film discussion guide. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)