The Square Film Review
I’ll admit that I had no real idea what the basis for conflict was in Egypt around the time of the revolution. And while watching one exceptional documentary has hardly made me an authority on the subject, it’s affected me in a way that most American media never could.
The entire world was captivated by the Egyptian revolution in 2011. Despite the immense differences among Egyptians, commonly desired yearning to end blatant corruption created a massive echo. After 30 years of suffering blatant human rights violations under Hosni Mubarak’s oppressive regime, the people found the strength to rise up as a unified front, or ‘one hand’, to exact political change.
In the wake of a successful revolt, the events that followed have been vastly distorted by warring factions clamoring for political ascension. Ultimately the most organized party at the time, the Muslim Brotherhood, would win power in the region with Mohamed Morsi acting as president. Despite being democratically elected, Morsi would grant himself more power than Mubarak ever had and earn the reputation as Egypt’s ‘new Pharaoh’. It’s this dramatic and painfully human turn of events that generates the most compelling fodder for any documentary in recent memory.
The Square is fully capable of reaching this level of empathy for the Egyptian conflict by creating a wholly immersive experience. Following a handful of everyday citizens from starkly different walks of life – an American movie star turned political activist, a pacifist revolutionary threatened by overwhelming violence, and a morally conflicted member of the Muslim Brotherhood – The Square utilizes a broad canvas in an effort to paint the full picture for casual audiences.
The Square gets its name from Tahrir Square, the major public town square located in Downtown Cairo, Egypt. To understand the area’s significance, powerful voices voices among the revolution will tell you, “If you control the square, you have won.” And thus the area became a recurring focal point of the revolution, thousands of people gathering in the heart of the city in one of the largest demonstrations the world has ever seen.
Revolutionaries peacefully occupied the square until the state’s army forcibly removed them through incredible violence that ultimately claimed many lives. Tharir Square is now commonly referred to as ‘Martyr Square’, a site where numerous revolutionaries sacrificed their lives.
The most heartbreaking element among The Square, one beautifully illustrated through firsthand footage, is the gradual manipulation of revolutionaries. This gradual division among ranks inevitably dulls what the people learned to be their most powerful weapon against tyranny – the ability to unite as one entity. This is the complete loss of hope following such an historic high.
Rather than leave things on a dour note, despite incalculable despair, The Square exclaims the revolution is coming – no matter what.
