Reporter's Notebook

“The World Without Us” and “Facing the Enemy”

“World” is easily in contention for the best movie of the festival. Using the fictionalized premise of a presidential candidate who promises to withdraw all American military forces from foreign territory, director/producer Mitch Anderson explores what would happen to world affairs with an isolationist America.

The film takes this question in three chunks: Would Europe step up as a regional power to keep the peace? Would the world still be able to get oil out of the Middle East? Would Asian powers balance each other out?

 I hate not to go in depth about this film, but I don’t want to say much because the answers to those questions and the way Anderson approaches them are really worth seeing for yourself. Find a way to watch this movie. It’s a great thinker for military and civilian movie-goers alike. And it will definitely put the current conflicts in perspective.

The film really succeeds by not making any partisan arguments. It’s about as fact-based as such a film can be. And while the answer to the film’s ultimate question will likely never be known for sure, “World” gives a good indication of what Anderson believes to be the real result.

Shown before “World” was “Facing the Enemy,” a fictional short film set in World War II. During a night battle, an American paratrooper and a German soldier are injured and wake up 50 feet apart leaning against trees. No one appears to be coming for help. There’s some initial tension, of course, but as the two start trying to communicate, they see a little humanity in each other.

The film was modestly entertaining with a thought-provoking ending. If you see it on YouTube, it’s worth the couple of minutes to see how it ends.

Unfortunately, “World” was shown at the same time as “Undefeated: Why We Fight,” another troop-centric documentary about the reality of life as a combatant in Iraq. I caught a few minutes of it, and it seemed pretty well produced, with a chest-thumping, “Honor their sacrifices” theme – the essential GIFF material. I asked one woman exiting the screening room what she thought of it, but she told me she couldn’t speak about it because she “works on something with the military.” Whoa, maybe there was something I missed in there. 

And now, it’s time for the “Best of” awards. My bets are on “Brothers at War” and “The World Without Us” to take some big prizes, but we’ll see.