Zero Dark Thirty
By KEVIN THANT
What price do we pay for information? This is the main question explored by a movie about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty follows the story of Maya (Jessica Chastain), who is a CIA agent obsessed with the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Maya suggests that rather than Osama living in a cave, he has been in plain sight for the whole time. Maya stands behind her claim, and the movie can be separated into three parts. Maya finding the information, people disagreeing over whether she’s right and the final execution of the plan.
In two hours, we experience 10 years of time. The movie tries to pull off an extremely hard task, condensing enough time so that the viewer isn’t bored but also that we don’t lose too much information. But there isn’t much to work with in terms of plot. Sure, there may be a series of investigations that ultimately lead to Maya finding Bin Laden, but the disjointedness of the plot is hard to miss. We jump around from torture to investigation without much explanation of why.
The one thing the movie does manage to pull off is the constant pounding of tension that keeps us drawn in. It’s incredible how Bigelow (director) can keep us yearning for more.
Part of it has to do with framing. The movie starts with us thinking that finding Osama is an impossible task. However, the movie drops more information as it goes on until the once impossible capture is now staring you in the face. She makes us walk upon a trail, constantly picking up little puzzle pieces. As we get closer to seeing the complete picture, it’s difficult to stop.
There’s not much character development outside of Maya, and it’s a risky approach. Going all in on one powerful character is a tactic that most movies would not consider. Chastain plays it beautifully. We experience her frustration as people don’t believe that she knows where Bin Laden is or her sorrow as her friend leaves her job. She has an incredible gift for showing emotion with a simple facial expression.
Maya’s sole character development also seems intentional. As viewers experience the story through her eyes, it’s a testament to the loneliness of the journey. She loses everyone and never bothers to make new connections. After one of her close friends dies and the other moves away, her interaction with other humans in a personal setting becomes nonexistent.
The culmination of Bin Laden’s capture is satisfying. All the hard work has paid off, and we’ve finally completed the puzzle. It’s when the tension ends that Maya is finally at peace. Her goals have been achieved. The closing scene is beautiful; after 10 years of hard work, we see Maya cry for the first time. She lets out all her emotions for the first time, but as viewers, we can’t help but question. Where will she go now? Her whole life culminated in Bin Laden’s capture at the cost of personal relationships.
The screen cuts to black as Maya cries. Despite its disjointedness, Zero Dark Thirtyis thrilling. It’s a tale of obsession told masterfully by an incredible actor.