We Are Not Ghouls Review
We Are Not Ghouls (2022) Film Review from the 29th Annual South by Southwest Film Festival, a movie directed by Chris James Thompson and starring Yvonne Bradley, Clive Stafford Smith, Darrel Vandeveld, Janet Hamlin, Stephen Grey, Cori Crider, Pam Bradley, Dick Blau and Rowan Crider. A truly haunting documentary about the power of persistence, We Are Not Ghouls tells a true story that can really make a difference. Directed by Chris James Thompson, this picture keeps the viewer hooked as it tells us the story of US Air Force JAG Attorney Yvonne Bradley who fought for justice against all odds. This documentary also presents viewers with the devastating realities of the aftereffects of 9/11. Most recently in fictional motion pictures, the story of what went on in Guantanamo Bay was portrayed in the powerful film, The Card Counter. Victims were tortured and corruption went on which was simply heart-wrenching in its excesses. In that aforementioned film from last year, we saw a man who took the fall for doing things that were common practice, yet many higher ups pretended they were not.
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Bradley is the key reason to see the new documentary. A remarkable human being, Bradley fought a seemingly unwinnable fight to see that justice came through for the man she defended, Binyam Mohamed. Yvonne Bradley knew that she saw large holes in the charges which were brought up against Mohamed. Things didn’t seem to make sense. Following her gut instinct, Bradley faced an uphill battle to try to bring justice to the man who was wrongfully accused of crimes he didn’t commit. The way the film details the torture that took place in the prison is quite chilling and the vividness effectively demonstrated what happened during the times which the movie documents. Extreme measures were taken to achieve torturous circumstances for Mohamed which included brutality to the most personal of body parts. Other methods of cruelty included the exposure to horrific sounds of screaming for days on end. The interviews and footage displayed in the movie are both shocking and thought-provoking. Former President George W. Bush, in one of his speeches, suggested that the right thing was being done in the name of justice yet former President Barack Obama’s admission that things went too far leaves audiences pondering what is truly just and when are things going too far especially when guilt has not actually been proven? Mohamed was going to be dealt the death penalty if not for Bradley’s perseverance. Bradley and another lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, initially met with the wrongly accused prisoner. Bradley took the case and ran with it with little certainty of the outcome. Confessions were gotten from innocent people at the expense of justice and the horrendous circumstances of Mohamed’s fate left little room for hope. Mohamed was simply trying to get home from a religious endeavor and faced his worst nightmare due to the actions of other people, not himself. At the prison, decisions were made without justification and decisions were made at the hands of people who had more power than they knew what to do correctly with. Mohamed’s story brings to mind recent events because of the fact that he seemed to possess a passport which was not genuine. This story the film tells spans several years offering a glimpse into the hell world Mohamed was forced to endure. The fact that Bradley believed in what she was doing to help can serve as a reminder of the strength of the human spirit even in times of gruesome, hopeless despair. It’s harrowing to think of all the brutal methods of torture the film documents. There was a light at the end of the tunnel but at an expense no innocent human being should have to pay. Bradley is interesting to watch and learning about her and the bond she developed with Mohamed was quite intriguing to behold. We Are Not Ghouls is hard to shake from your mind and is quite an achievement. Rating: 8.5/10 Leave your thoughts on this We Are Not Ghouls review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more South By Southwest Film Festival news can visit our South By Southwest Film Festival Page, our Film Festival Page, and our Film Festival Facebook Page. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard.
