A MIGHTY HEART

3 STARS – THOUGHT PROVOKING

In the midst of the mind-numbing news about civilian and military deaths in Iraq, it is sometimes lost in the shuffle that since the start of fighting in March 2003, 191 journalists and media assistants have lost their lives.  When you add to this the deaths of reporters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the loss is staggering.

“A Mighty Heart” tells the true story of the capture, rescue attempts, and ultimate death of Wall Street journalist, Daniel Pearl.  Pearl’s beheading, and subsequent video tape of the event ending up on the Internet, not only shocked the western world, but brought home the clash of cultures in which the war on terrorism is being fought.

Less than a year after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Daniel and Mariane Pearl entered Pakistan to cover the links to terrorism based in this country bordering Afghanistan.    Mariane, who subsequently wrote “A Mighty Heart” following Daniel’s death, was a French television journalist covering parallel stories with her American born husband.  Both were to leave the country in the days following his ill-fated interview. 

Luckily, the film does not dwell on the morbid or sensational.  The camera follows Mariane, the rescuers, and the police on their search as if it were a home movie shot by a friend or relative.  It captures the frustration, emotions, and invasion of privacy that comes from a story with international intrigue.  It lets us experience the emotional roller coaster ride that they go through between hope and despair.   The only flaw in the film is that it does not give you much of a glimpse into the lives of the terrorists or their motivations.

The story’s primary appeal is on a personal level, focusing on the love of two people, their joint quest for journalistic integrity, the recognition that they are engaged in an activity that is dangerous, and the ultimate realization that living amongst danger can have devastating consequences.  Mariane is pregnant, and is concerned that their future as a family.  Daniel’s family is concerned about the fact that he is of Jewish descent, and there are those in the Muslim world that might choose to harm him solely due to his background.  In the end, this fact turns out to be a death sentence.

On a larger level, the story is a reminder that there are no simple answers in this world to complex political problems, nor can we act as if we are immune to the consequences of conflict simply because of our political, ethnic, or cultural status.  War is hell, and the innocent suffer the most.  It is easy to sit in America and think we understand to dynamics of the religious and cultural wars playing out in the Middle East.  But, as the late journalist, H. L. Menchen said, “For every human condition, there is an answer that is simple, neat, and wrong.” 

What should our response be to global terrorism?  How do we protect ourselves as well as the innocent in the world?  Any look at history comes with a bias.  From a spiritual perspective, all of life is sacred, and no leaders of the great religions of the world condone indiscriminate killing and terrorism. 

A spiritual answer requires engaging others as equals, seeing others as “children of God.”  Hope always depends on an open dialogue.  That dialogue could occur between world leaders regardless of their perspectives, between individuals and groups in each country, neighborhood, and family, and between each of us and our God.  “A Mighty Heart” is a reminder that “dialogue” doesn’t ensure safety or longevity, but it is a critical path towards understanding our differences and loving others as we love ourselves.