Taxi to the Dark Side shines light on torture

“Taxi to…“Taxi to the Dark Side” Directed by Alex Gibney Featuring: Alex Gibney (narrator), Moazzam Begg, Willie Brand

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In April 2004, the United States – and the rest of the world – was outraged and saddened by the revelation of torture practices and other prisoner abuses in Abu Ghraib, an American-run Iraqi prison. Much of the blame was placed on what the Bush administration referred to as “a few bad apples,” soldiers who crossed the line in their subhuman treatment of the Iraqi prisoners.

“Taxi to the Dark Side,” however, documents a world of similar abuses and administrative approval to reveal the motivations of these so-called “bad apples.”

“Taxi” begins with the story of Dilawar, an Afghani native from the peanut-farming village of Yakubi. Unable to help with the farming, he decided to become a cab driver to bring in extra money for his family.

One day, he picked up two passengers and never returned. It turns out that he and his passengers were unjustly suspected of a terrorist attack on an American military camp and sent to Bagram prison. Because of his incessant claims of innocence, he was tortured mercilessly by the soldiers and died five days later.

While tragic, Dilawar’s story is less of the focus of the film and more of a frame story for discussing torture practices in Afghanistan and Iraq. While Dilawar’s death at Bagram predates the Abu Ghraib atrocities, “Taxi” draws a connection between them, as the two prisons shared the same head intelligence officer during the moments of their respective inhumanities. It then goes on to criticize many leading officials – including Bush and Cheney – for their approval of these torturous methods of interrogation. Finally, it brings the issue into the present, vividly recounting the horrific torture of Mohammed al-Qahtani (the alleged “last 9/11 hijacker”) at Guantanamo Bay, as well as discussing the issue of waterboarding – a form of physical and psychological torture that simulates drowning.

Far from merely recounting history, “Taxi” also analyzes the torturous methods of interrogation and delves into the policies behind them. Particularly affecting is the discussion about sensory-deprivation torture and its contrast with the physical tortures that the Bush administration so adamantly claimed it never employed.

“Taxi” makes a strong case that this psychological torture is actually far worse than physical torture, since physical pain is easier to endure and recover from than psychological distress.

While “Taxi” does place a lot of blame on the officials who approved these interrogation procedures, it doesn’t completely vindicate the soldiers.

There are a large number of testimonials from soldiers who were stationed at Bagram prison, including ones directly responsible for the abuse that led to Dilawar’s death.

They seem to truly regret their actions, but they indicate not only that these methods were approved and even requested by their commanding officers, but also that they were simply a consequence of the immense tensions present in the prisons. The prisoners were the enemies of the United States, and showing mercy was made equivalent with being traitorous.

Despite “Taxi’s” documentary-style approach to relating this information, there is no lack of powerful imagery in the film.

The interrogation of al-Qahtani is simulated in a suitably harrowing fashion, even employing some of the more subtle torture techniques – loud music, flashing lights and the incessant barking of dogs – in order to allow a better understanding of what he went through.

The film also uses many of the Abu Ghraib images to reinforce the brutality of what went on in these prisons, and it shows some surprisingly scary government documents listing approved torture techniques and signed by the likes of Bush and Donald Rumsfeld.

Fortunately, in relating these facts, the film artfully avoids the fervent anti-Bush fanaticism of many other Iraq War documentaries and instead focuses on the truth.

It lets the realization seep through that the most powerful officials in the country approved of treating other human beings in these atrocious ways. “Taxi” creates a vivid, harrowing experience that truly taps into the fear and turmoil associated with the Iraq War.