Zero Dark Thirty (2013)

One of the year’s top contenders for Academy Award Best Picture is Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty. The film follows CIA agent Maya (Jessica Chastain) in her nearly ten-year endeavor to track down terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Beginning with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, it documents this objective through bin Laden’s eventual capture by a United States special forces unit on May 2, 2011.

            Bigelow’s female perspective contributes to a great sense of sincerity in the character of Maya, and the way she is perceived by her male colleagues. They are well-aware that she is female, but it’s her confidence rather than her gender that sets her apart. She doesn’t allow others to doubt her. Bigelow was not honored with a 2013 Academy Award nomination earlier this week (regardless of the fact that she won the Oscar just three years ago for The Hurt Locker, making me question whether the Academy disregarded her so as not to appear to play favorites… with women, at least.) Yet the final shot in the film is a prime example of why she is deserving of the recognition. So much emotional information is conveyed in that moment, with not a word of dialogue.
            For her part, Chastain portrays the strongest and most likeable female lead of the year. Maya is hardly verbose, but when she speaks, her words have meaning. She is not romantically involved and her career is her life. She is sharp, blunt, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. Whether she’s interrogating detainees, threatening her superiors, or indulging in a brief bit of girl talk, Maya is completely captivating. (Not to mention that her hair is always ravishing – more on that later.)    

Director of Photography Greig Fraser makes excellent use of low lighting and silhouettes. While I generally prefer the look of a work shot on film over that of digital capture, Fraser utilizes the range and sharpness of the Arri Alexa camera to its greatest advantage, producing a film rife with gorgeous cinematography. I believe Zero Dark Thirty looked every bit as good as Roger Deakins’ much talked-about work on Skyfall, also shot on Alexa. (And I swear, Fraser and his key lighting technician developed some magic formula to make Chastain’s hair consistently look the perfect tone of fiery gold).

            As should be expected from any film recounting terrorist events, Zero Dark Thirty is intense. Yet the violence is never glamorized or exaggerated. At just over two and a half hours, the film runs a little long, but that can be attributed to the extensive attention to detail which makes Zero Dark Thirty feel so truthful. This film isn’t overtly political, or full of ethical questions. At its core, it’s a simple story about a woman and her unwavering drive to get the job done. Considering its flawless direction, performances (most notably that of Chastain), and cinematography, Zero Dark Thirty is by far one of the most thought-provoking and technically impressive films of the year.