31 North 62 East (2009)

Directed by: Tristan Loraine | 100 minutes | drama, war, thriller | Actors: Heather Peace, Lee Godfrey, Aurélie Bargème, John Rhys-Davies, Kulvinder Ghir, Marina Sirtis, George Calil, Adrian Goulder, Chris Goulder, Tristan Loraine, Kammy Darweish, Kate Garbutt, Brad Bennetts, Leofwine Loraine, Christopher Simpson

There are plenty of politically conscious, socially critical films about wars, but it is not always easy to find the right tone and balance. There is always the danger of becoming too preachy or too tear-jerking. It is also important that the degree of realism is kept in mind. If too much of a joke is taken here, the viewer’s involvement can quickly disappear, at least as far as the message of the film is concerned. At the same time, it is nice if the film does not become too static and talkative, in which everything is only about the arguments or informative elements. ’31 North 62 East’ is usually not overly theatrical in the acting and manages to create an intriguing cover-up in the first half, which is still reasonably believable. Unfortunately, as the story moves entirely from Afghanistan to England, the film quickly becomes an accumulation of unlikely plot twists and exaggerated, Rambo-esque one-man action.

’31 North 62 East’ is well-meaning and has social criticism that may be naive, but certainly relevant. That politicians are willing to cause a lot of “collateral damage” to safeguard their own position – and, if possible, earn a nice pocket money – is perhaps known, but will always remain something to be fought against. In addition to the events in the film, carelessness and outright lies are also exposed, for example about the reason for (starting) the war in Iraq and the way in which the existence of something like a Gulf War syndrome is flatly denied. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Public outrage about these matters is justified. But whether this is the film that will mobilize large groups of people… Probably not.

The film starts interestingly and the passages in which Jill is “interrogated” in Afghanistan are very intense, but unfortunately this power is not retained, and everything has to be resolved via a stereotypical final showdown. Of course, all the dirty laundry will be hanging outside and there will be no more loose ends. All this feels way too easy. It’s also deeply regrettable that the biggest-name actor, John Rhys-Davies (Gimli in ‘The Lord of the Rings’), is mostly remembered in a negative way for his shimmering, insubstantial portrayal of the skeletonized British prime minister. in his closet. The premise of ’31 North 62 East’ may be good, but the finish could have been a lot more subtle. Or rather, had to.