Nothing but the truth, 2008

Nothing but the truth, 2008
Director: Rod Lurie
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga


Stage: Home theatre


Nothing but the truth in short: Thinking Pulitzer Prize and hoping to bring down a President, D.C. political columnist Rachel Armstrong writes that the President ignored the findings of a covert CIA operative when ordering air strikes against Venezuela. Rachel names the agent, Erica Van Doren, a woman whose young daughter is in Rachel's son's class at school. The government moves quickly to force Rachel to name her source. She's jailed for contempt when she refuses. She won't change her mind, and the days add up. Chaos descends on Van Doren's life as well. First Amendment versus national security, marriage and motherhood versus separation. What's the value of a principle?


Preps: I don't know the movie, but I reckon since the cast seems more than decent, it should be a finer piece. Also, the title is intriguing.


Reality: The movie makes a strong point when following someone's principles and to what extent. The journalist that doesn't want to reveal a source is treated normalwise as a saint and noone can make him/her tell about the source. But not when it's in the interest of a state. Which in my opinion can happen every time the state makes up its mind that it's this perticular case that drives danger to society.

The movie could be a relic to all the journalists that have been treated similar, but to the normal crowd perspective, it's simply unfair to go to that level with principles to neglect all the aspects of the family this journalist has.
The following of the idealism is so severe that when she stays in the prison for such a long time, the crowd outside forgets about this case and it's only her, living this horrible reality behind the bars, that gives a damn about the idea. When idealism is overrun by time, the crowd / people are merciless - noone cares and noone will do anything about it. All that has been a great idea, just vaporizes in void. In this movie, the journalist takes the burdon of media messiah - however, even though she is praised, she is also soon forgotten. Like the people fighting for some sort of a cause in political emprisonment in Ireland, for instance. There are a lot of ways to make a point. But if you try to make it, maybe you should reconsider how many people you are dragging into this and whether it's also worth losing a family over a dead body - or a principle in this sense.


My personal rating: 6,5 (it will make you think about your principles and how much they are worth to you. Philosophically speaking, the movie is worth seeing).


Nothing but the truth on IMDB