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Canada, Germany · 2019
1h 49m
Director Yung Chang
Starring Robert Fisk, Jihad Sultan, Tim Eddy, Antranik Helvadjian
Genre Documentary, History
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The latest from documentarian Yung Chang follows legendary foreign correspondent Robert Fisk, who has risked his life for over 40 years traveling to landscapes devastated by war and getting firsthand accounts of divisive conflicts.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by
If Yung, who made the Genie Award-winning Up the Yangtze, comes off as too deferential toward Fisk, he does acknowledge the controversial nature of his subject, noting how Fisk is regularly proclaimed to be a pawn of the different sides of whatever conflict he is covering.
What sets Robert Fisk apart from the rest is he’s on the ground and in the middle of the action. He is amazingly able to travel (sometimes) to both sides of a conflict and personally eyewitness the event from both perspectives. This is the heart of This is Not a Movie.
After a lifetime reporting on conflict, Fisk reflects on the capacity of human beings to cause chaos on such a scale. Is there something deep in our souls that permits it because it feels natural? His painful, deeply serious question about the inevitability of war sets the tone of this documentary about his career.
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
Where Fisk follows a lead, uncovers details, and logically extrapolates what probably happened, cable news takes his hypothesis, makes it sacrosanct, and does more damage than good.
The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer
A no-nonsense, soft-spoken chronicler of conflict, especially from the point of view of the victims, Fisk is the centerpiece of a film that can sometimes feel more laudatory than necessary, but provides a comprehensive portrait of a man who has become essential reading.
As the movie travels from country to country over Fisk's career, it's not always easy to follow the chronology. But overall, Mike Munn's editing is astute, covering decades of work and complex multi-party conflicts with as much clarity as could be reasonably hoped for.
Slant Magazine by Mark Jenkins
The documentary adroitly demonstrates that Robert Fisk is still motivated by the boyish curiosity that drew him to journalism.
Austin Chronicle by Richard Whittaker
It proves that value of the journalist as record keeper of horrors.
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
However one ultimately feels about Fisk’s reportorial compass, This Is Not a Movie presents a necessary, thought-provoking portrait of a dedicated truth-seeker.
Two Families. One Tree. A Bloody Mess.