'Retrograde' criticism: Matthew Heineman risks his head to record America's exit from Afghanistan

Early 2021, as Americans focused on shifting power back home, the director snaps- neck Matthew Heineman ("Cartel Land", "City of Ghosts") assembled a crew and flew to Afghanistan to check on the status of America's longest war. By then, Osama bin Laden had been dead for a decade, the Taliban was weakened but not defeated, and the US-trained Afghan army was holding up reasonably well - and yet, nearly 20 years later, he there was still no end in sight for the American involvement. That changed almost as soon as Heineman arrived, as the Biden administration planned to step down.

At that time what could have been another desert war document as of usual – with routine patrols, precisely targeted drone strikes and soldiers expressing their boredom – moved to something the public had never seen before. The title, "Retrograde", refers to the process by which military forces extricate themselves from conflict, removing or rendering inoperable the equipment they had used to engage the enemy. For Heineman, that meant capturing all sorts of cinematic sights: a muscular soldier smashes through a bunch of computer screens, helicopters airlift vehicles, and things explode as a team dumps all the remaining ammo into a trench. , sprinkles them with gasoline and lights the pile. with a well-adjusted flare. The Taliban will not use these bullets.

Over the past two decades, we have received more Afghan documentaries than we can handle count, but none of them look quite like this. Visually, all of Heineman's films stand out (including his terrific 2018 scripted debut "A Private War"). Here, the intrepid helmsman and his equally brave cameramen bring back high-definition truth footage that looks sharper and more artfully framed than most Hollywood feature films. During the final chapter of the American occupation, they almost always focus on faces: unadorned green berets scanning the horizon through all-seeing eyes, native Afghans with dusty cheeks and frightened, uncertain expressions.

Heineman begins with the "end", as people invade Kabul airport in the hope to get out. Its cameras are there in the fray, as the Afghan soldiers fire warning shots above the heads of the crowd, and immediately we feel the danger in which this small team of filmmakers has put themselves for us report this story. Yes, viewers saw even more shocking footage of the exodus, as desperate people clung to the wings of departing planes. It's different: Heineman continues to film even after his escorts have left, risking his life to document the alarmingly short period before the capital fell under Taliban control.

The most resonant scenes occur before the American departure, as discovered by soldiers who passed years of defending Afghanistan themselves trying to explain their departure – a policy that many of them clearly do not agree with, knowing that the “friends” who supported them will instantly become the most targets priorities of the Taliban. Virtually every documentary filmed in Afghanistan over the past 20 years deals with collateral damage - typically the women and children killed in tactical strikes. This one supports the fact that American allies are now being dragged from their homes and executed, or else stuck in airports, unable to get out.

After opening the mess in Kabul, Heineman reflects on his January 2021 arrival, taking us to Helmand province, where a team of US Army Green Berets taught locals how to defend themselves. "Were you even born when this war started?" a veteran asks a young soldier repeatedly, pointing out how far we are from the 9/11 strikes that brought US forces to the area. Another experienced officer points to the long-term consequences of US involvement during this time: "Innocent men who died in 2000/2005, their sons are now old enough to join the Taliban." For some, Americans were the liberators, while others will harbor lifelong vendettas against them.

The film's most compelling character is General Sami Sadat, who crossed the Afghan army to keeping the Taliban at bay. While others hide and hide, Sadat doesn't flinch as he crosses exposed areas as bullets zoom by - and if that sounds impressive, keep in mind the guy filming him is doing even (backwards and carrying heavy equipment, to paraphrase...