The right-wing, Trumpian argument that Barack Obama paid $400 million in “blood money” to Iran in order to seal a controversial nuclear deal is at the angry heart of this skewed documentary. Radical Obsession takes a long time to make its point, however, spending many exhausting minutes describing in overwhelming detail how Iran became a “state sponsor” of global terrorism.
Setting a tone that can only be described as a panic attack, the film leads us from the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran in 1979, the return to Tehran of the exiled Ayatollah Khomeni, the subsequent hostage crisis (Americans working in the U.S. embassy were held as prisoners for 444 days), and the transformation of the largely secular country into a haven for radical Islamists.
Viewers take a frantic, paranoia-inducing ride through accusations that Iran and its oil wealth are behind every outbreak of terrorism on Earth, from Lebanon to Ireland to Africa to South America. Indeed, watching footage of Hezbollah or Isis or any number of insurgent groups deploying terrorism is enough to make one lose sleep. There is also a heavy emphasis on allegedly expert opinions about Iran and the lethal organizations it has fostered, though it is hard to tell whose decree to take as objective.
By the time the film turns its full attention to Obama and the $400 million, it’s clear we’re in a conspiracy nut’s fantasy. Not recommended. One star. J, H, C, P.