Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?

With the birth of his first child approaching, Morgan Spurlock (of “Super Size Me” fame) is concerned about the world in which the child will come into. The culprit for the trying times we face? The FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted mainstay Osama bin Laden.

Spurlock decides that its up to him to find bin Laden. Armed with only questions, his journey takes him across Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the Gaza Strip and Pakistan.
The fact that Spurlock is leaving his wife alone for the final months of her pregnancy is the film’s main weak point. They speak on the phone and Spurlock says he wishes he could be there with her, and the viewer is left to wonder why he isn’t.

Despite his claim that he is hunting bin Laden to make the world safe for his son, there is no real reason he should be abandoning his wife when she needs her husband the most.

Desertions aside, the film takes a lighthearted approach to a serious subject. A constant, up-tempo soundtrack gives the film a rhythm not found in most documentaries.

Add that to the fact that major terrorists are animated into baseball cards, and we can see that the film does not take itself too seriously.

There is also a level of cinematography present that defies the standard documentary style. Several interesting shots of cities and people add depth to the film.

The journey itself is much more interesting than the end could ever be. Spurlock meets with professors, journalists, priests, businessmen and families across the Middle East. This allows him to get a grasp on the world bin Laden comes from.

Some devout Muslims discuss how bin Laden has perverted their religion and tainted it in the eyes of the world. Others describe how someone like bin Laden is a true savior of Islam.

The film’s strength is the people Spurlock interviews. He focuses on the common man. No generals or politicians, just the people who live every day in the chaotic Middle East.
It is interesting to see the similarities between the ghettos of the United States and the Middle East. In both, poverty is rampant and parents wish for better lives for their children.

Where people in America’s ghetto must fight against the easy riches and danger that drugs offer, Middle Eastern children must avoid the temptation of paradise and riches that Al Qaeda offers.

Many people tell Spurlock that they hold both America and bin Laden in equal contempt because they are the two factions responsible for the fighting. The only thing that people in the film have in common is their hatred of violence and those who cause it.

Spurlock’s visit to the Gaza Strip is especially interesting. He stands on the spot of land that is responsible for so much bloodshed. A poignant moment occurs when he sits in the rocket-blasted shell of an elementary school, wondering what it would be like to live in a world where this is the norm.

Anyone who is interested in the lives of people who have been involved in this conflict will enjoy the portrait painted by Spurlock. It provides a level of coverage that is untapped by the CNNs and BBCs of the world.

In the end, the film is more about the journey itself than the result. The fact that people are so similar, yet involved in such destructive conflict with each other is disheartening, yet offers hope that peace is possible.

The message of the film is universal. No one wants to bring a child into a world of violence and hatred. Despite the film’s nonchalant attitude towards the subject, there is an underlying mix of cynicism and idealism. The cynical view that people will never change is juxtaposed with a hope that one day people will get sick of fighting and simply coexist.

Rating - $9.50