We Are the Giant, 2014.
Directed by Greg Barker.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspiring documentary that profiles several human right activists in Libya, Syria, and Bahrain as they describe events that took place during the Arab Spring in their countries.
There are a lot of shocking and disturbing moments in Greg Barker’s documentary We Are the Giant which profiles several activists who were heavily involved in the Arab Spring protests. However perhaps the most disturbing moment of the film starts out as one of the sweetest – a young girl sings a song in the street only to be interrupted after a bomb explodes so close to her that the camera falls to the ground. It’s the kind of tear jerking moment you expect to see in a fictional account of protests and revolutions, not a documentary where filmmakers are limited to actions that unfold in front of their cameras.
One of the strongest aspects of We Are the Giant is the video footage in the film that was taken from people in the midst of protests, many of which ended in brutal violence. While the overarching message of the film is praise for peaceful protests to enact change, the film does not shy away from the extremely violent and disturbing events these protests were met with by their governments. Barker manages to show this shocking footage of brutality in a way that strengthens the film rather than using it for pure “shock value.”
We are the Giant focuses on three countries that all protested against their governments during the Arab Spring. A father and son (who was born in the US) in Libya, two activists in Syria who are devoted to peaceful protests, and a family ripped apart by their human rights activism in Bahrain.
Some of the people profiled in the film are not interviewed because they did survive, others because they are currently in prison. Similarly some of the activists are still in the midst of the protests in their country while others are across the world trying to draw support from the US and UK for their cause. There are unfortunately no real happy endings in We Are the Giant, but it takes viewers on a journey well worth starting.
While the protests described in the film all had varying levels of success or failure, the bravery and tenaciousness of the activists bonds them all together. Barker goes to great (perhaps too great) extremes to connect the Arab Spring protests together with other acts of peaceful protest throughout history. While the quotes from civil rights leaders and montages of photographs and video footage from these other events are inspiring, they also weigh down the film at times.
We Are the Giant does an admirable job of letting the interview subjects tell their own story without an unneeded “voice from behind the camera” leading them through the incidents being described. One area I wish Barker had expanded on is the history of the countries profiled so viewers could have a better sense of what specifically the activists were fighting for or were up against. Even without a lot of previous knowledge about the Arab Spring it will be the rare person who leaves We Are the Giant without a deep respect for the people profiled and hopefully inspiration to take a stand of their own.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Amy Richau is a freelance entertainment and sports writer. Follow her on Twitter.
Originally published November 15, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
