Revolution, Unpolished

Revolutions are messy, confusing, and brutal. Only afterwards are they recast into neat – and often flawed– narratives. Revolutions are less a testament to guiding visions than they are to dogged persistence in the absence of such strategies. They are ventures into the unknown.

We Are The Giant, a film about activists in the Arab Spring, is important because it comes before the neat narrative of revolution has been constructed. It portrays the reality of revolution today – and will serve as an integral and authentic snapshot for those seeking to remember this era decades from now. The film follows the stories of an American citizen with a Libyan father who fought to bring down the 32-year-rule of Muammar Gaddafi (Muhannad), non-violent activists in Syria(Ghassan and Motaz), and human rights defenders from Bahrain(Maryam and Zainab).

We Are The Giant, a film about activists in the Arab Spring, is important because it comes before the neat narrative of revolution has been constructed.

The film can appear disjointed at times – the characters’ stories from each country don’t overlap, and the film wavers between advocating violent and nonviolent resistance. But in a way, that quality only contributes to its powerful, multi-faceted narrative – and mirrors the untidiness of revolution itself.

Often, the film shows humanity at its worst. At one point, viewers are lulled by a young Syrian girl singing about freedom in the street, the kind we’ve seen countless of times on YouTube. But at the moment when the song has dragged on too far, the street is bombed, and the scene flips to destruction in a matter of milliseconds.

In another, Maryam, the Bahraini activist, tells the story of writing a report for a human rights organization about a man who has been physically, mentally, and sexually tortured. Later, she discovers the man was her father.

But from these stories of destruction also come powerful scenes that show humanity at its best. In one, Zainab, another Bahraini activist reeling from the arrest of her father, is the only one who decides to stand her ground as Bahraini security services open fire on protesters. She waves a peace sign in the air.

If there is a singular narrative that binds the film together, it is the story of what happens to authoritarian countries after decades of fear suddenly evaporate. Each of the characters said at the beginning, they doubted the movements would be able to sustain themselves – and many thought were a joke. But as their fear dissipated, and the protests continued, they began, for the first time in a long time, to hope. Sometimes, that optimism dwarfed reality.

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Like in the case of Libyan-American Muhannad. His father tells the story of how during a critical battle against Libyan government forces, his son relentlessly attacked their position, forgoing cover in the hope of advancing. Muhannad was shot, and ended up dying in the attack. These scenes don’t take away from the bravery of Muhannad, but show the battles how they actually were – without pomp and flair.

As the Arab Spring evolves, there’s no doubt parts of it will be “remembered” to fit political agendas.

It’s not yet clear how the revolutions in Bahrain, Libya, and Syria will end. Zainab was just sentenced for three years in jail for ripping up a picture of the King of Bahrain. Much of Libya is now controlled by armed factions, and Syria has become a problem from hell. While the film tries to end on a positive note by expressing optimism, it only gilds the underlying helplessness that the revolutions in these countries have become.

In many ways, the importance of this film will be better understood years from now, or even decades. As the Arab Spring evolves, there’s no doubt parts of it will be “remembered” to fit political agendas. _We Are the Giant _will serve as a counterbalance to that, as it lacks the polish that tales of the French or American revolutions are often told with. There are no scenes that can be turned into musical number, no narratives that would make a Mel Gibson biopic. Rather, the film captures these revolutions at its darkest point, where there is no light at the end of the tunnel.