Belated Film Review: Liberia: an Uncivil War (2004)

Watched this fine UK/Liberian feature-length documentary the other night, bootleg copies of which are available on many street corners. In 2003, two BBC camera crews split up, one following the rebel LURD forces for a year on their long march into Monrovia to topple Taylor, and the other staying in the capital to document the final days of the regime. Gunfire is cracking from beginning to end, and you really get a feeling for the tension of living in a war zone as the filmmakers interview civilians, child and adult combatants, NGO reps, politicians, and journalists at the worst extremes of stress and despair. The film is extraordinarily gruesome and chaotic, just like a war. But it does give a nice round picture of the last days of the conflict. Essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand the current situation in Liberia. Not recommended for the back-home relatives of only-child expats who live in Liberia. [Things are much better now, Mom & Dad!] One of the filmmakers tells LL that the forthcoming sequel (part 2 of 3) will document the ascension of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.