Movies that you need to see

By Josh Burrows
Sun contributor
Dwight D. Eisenhower was heard to remark: “God help this country when somebody sits at this desk that doesn’t know as much about the military as I do.” As the man who masterminded the single most massive invasion in history, that sets a pretty high bar for the White House’s current occupant. After all, if the president who christened the Military Industrial Complex felt powerless before it, imagine the troubles of the one who deals with its three-quarters-of-a-trillion-dollars-a-year grandchild, affectionately named “The Global War on Terror.”

History buffs, documentary fans, and anyone who’s thinking about joining the military might want to check out Why We Fight, a new film by Eugene Jarecki which will be shown at Kejara’s Bridge in Lake Leelanau on Tuesday, June 20, as part of the eclectic restaurant’s monthly alternative film series. Jareki, the filmmaker behind The Trials of Henry Kissinger, brings us an excellent documentary, presenting an issue that touches nearly every facet of our lives. In fact, if you’ve ever driven on an interstate, you’ve benefited from our defense budget.
Not surprisingly, defense affects an amazing amount of your elected leader’s decisions. This country’s defense spending dwarfs the money Congress gets to spend on other programs. The words “Defense Budget” may not sound quite as scary as, for example, Global Warming, but by focusing as Jarecki does, on the lives of people caught up in the machine, the CIA analysts and Pentagon staffers, and also the soldiers and pilots on the front lines, he manages to bring real depth to an issue that might otherwise seem merely academic.
Last month’s films at Kejara’s Bridge included another excellent documentary, Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary, which examines the life of several migrants who have decided to brave the gangs, corrupt police and dangers of riding open-air on a train for a chance to come to the United States and Canada. Every year, several hundred would-be immigrants die crossing the southern border of the United States. Surprisingly, what may seem like the most dangerous leg of the trip is actually the home stretch for many. By the time they make it to the border they are already among a select few survivors — only 10 percent of those that left their homes. These brave immigrants have come hundreds of miles from their homes in Central America and southern Mexico, braving danger the entire way.