STRIP SEARCH
US, 2004, 85 minutes, Colour.
Glenn Close, Maggie Gylenhaal, Ken Leung, Bruno Lastra, Austin Pendleton, Tom Guiry, Jim Gaffigan, Caroline Kava.
Directed by Sidney Lumet.
Strip Search is an HBO television film from 2004. It was directed by Sidney Lumet, veteran of television in the 1950s, and a feature film direction career for over 50 years, from such films as 12 Angry Men through Network and a range of police thrillers and other dramas. The screenplay was written by Tom Fontana, whose credits range from the television film, Jesus and Judas, St Elsewhere, Borgia and Homicide: Life in the Street.
The film opens with students in class, the teacher, Austin Pendleton, asking them how much of their personal freedoms they would be willing to give up if terrorism could be eliminated.
The film is initially disconcerting, with the arrest of a young American woman in Beijing, Linda, played with conviction by Maggie Glenhaal. She has to go undergo interrogation, rather theatrical performance by Ken Leung as the Chinese interrogator. Meanwhile, in New York City, a young man is also taken into custody, Spanish actor Bruno Lastro, and is interrogated, the interrogator being played by Glenn Close.
In the American interrogation, the dialogue is repeated from the Chinese interrogation and this continues throughout the film, two parallel films within the one. The Chinese severity is emphasised. But the American severity is no less sinister.
It is alleged that the two people are not arrested but taken into custody to be interrogated, suspected of being in communication with subversives.
Then comes the strip search of the title, presented quite graphically but not pruriently (although the American interrogator does have some innuendo in her comments). As regards the nudity, some American responses were hostile, but it is presented in a very matter-of-fact way by the director and by the performances of the cast.
Inserted throughout the film are talking head speeches about American rights and human rights by four presidents, Reagan, Clinton, Bush Senior, Bush Jr.
At the time, and the aftermath of 9/11, American audiences would have accepted that this kind of Chinese interrogation, with elements of torture, was commonplace. There were some objections about this presentation of the FBI and American authorities behaving in this way. However, with the expose of American torture in Afghanistan, the Abu Ghraib prison (and Alex Gibney's Oscar-winning expose, Taxi to the Darkside), sequences of torture in the pursuit of Osama bin Laden drama, Zero Dark 30, and various films showing the process of torture and rendition, Americans had to accept that torture was part of policy in those years. Worth seeing is The Report, with Adam Driver and Anette Bening and the examination of the documentation about torture policy.
1. The title? Expectations? The role in interrogations? Torture?
2. The film produced in 2004, in the aftermath of 911? The insertion of the statements from the presidents, Reagan, Bush senior, Clinton, Bush Jr? The point about American freedoms?
3. The relevance of the two stories? Relationship with China, the Chinese government, arrests, treatment, interrogations, human rights? The American situation, suspicions, arrests, treatment? Guantanamo Bay? The later revelations about Abu Ghraib?
4. The introduction with the teacher, the students, the discussion about rights, their being prepared to sacrifice their rights for a day, week, month, years, 10 years, a lifetime? To eradicate terrorists? The student reactions?
5. The Chinese story, the arrest of Linda, taken in the restaurant, the Chinese dancing on the television, the students not looking, the treatment by the authorities, respect for authorities, the blindfold? In the room, Linda’s bewilderment, the American in China, the attitude of the interrogator? The dramatics of the interrogator, his manner, his language? Aggressive, proud of his country, suspicions of foreigners, crimes, crimes not yet committed and prevention? Linda, her denials? Not identifying pictures? Her personal story, passport, wide travels? Wanting to contact her mother and the statement that her mother knew what was happening? The further aggression, threats, issues of human rights and denials?
6. The discovery that the same screenplay was being repeated throughout the film, the two interpretations, Chinese style, American style? The different intonations to the same dialogue? Male interrogator, female interrogator? Male prisoner? Female prisoner? The impact of the dialogue and situations being repeated and understood and appreciated more closely?
7. The American sequences, Linda's brother and his concern, the grief of the mother, the Reverend and his help with the family, the young mechanic and his criticisms of the government, the brother's phone calls, contacting the authorities, getting some basic information but being put off?
8. The comparison with the suspect in New York, his mother coming to the headquarters and her puzzlement?
9. The American authorities, explanations of the methods, the FBI, bringing in suspects, trying to get information, interrogations, techniques? The destruction of the passports?
10. The American situation, the young man as a tourist, his girlfriend, the accusation that she walked out, that she will testify against him? The hiring of the car and his saying he
did it for a friend? Traces of TNT in the trunk of the car? His documents, his studies, the Jefferson statement about rebellion? The authorities and their interpretation?
11. The parallel in China, Linda as a tourist, her girlfriend, leaving, testifying against her? Her documents, her studies, the Jefferson quote and the interpretation?
12. The move to the strip search? The man, his being offended, the commands, the comments on jihadists shaving the suicide bombers? The man and his being exposed? The taunting of the interrogator, suggestiveness, sexual orientation? His standing against the wall, studying the wall? Seated, naked, the interrogation?
13. In China, the strip search, Linda and her unwillingness, the embarrassment, the suggestiveness of the remarks, her stoic behaviour, studying the wall? The absence of the interrogator, her anger, turning over the furniture?
14. Each interrogator speaking about their having a son, finishing the job, going out to the authorities, their being congratulated, their leaving? But their handing over the suspects to
higher authorities?
15. The epilogue, the impact of 9/11? Audience expectations that this kind of behaviour was 'normal' in China? American reactions to this kind of American interrogation but the later revelations of the prison, Abu Ghraib in Afghanistan, the use of torture in the 2000s, the documentation, the committees, styles of torture? Their being banned?
