The Unknown Known: The life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld (Errol Morris, 2013): U.S.A

Reviewed by Andres Cruz. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2013.

“The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld” is one of the most powerful and well-developed documentaries I have ever seen. Director Errol Morris introduces a type of camera that works as a “teleprompter”. A camera with a lens that shows a video to the interviewee and at the same time is filming. It is a worth seeing film so it answers many questions about political issues that involve the secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld. It is powerful, straight to the point and also uses many special effects and technology to make it more interesting and to capture the audience’s attention.

I watched this documentary at the AFI Film Festival 2013. There is no actors, only Donald Rumsfeld being interviewed by Errol Morris. What makes this documentary really important and interesting is the dialogue and questions that are pretty clean. The movement of the camera, cuts and side angles when Donald Rumsfeld is being interviewed captures the Audience’s attention and makes you feel that you are the third person in the interview.

The way that Errol Morris develops the documentary is amazing. His questions are hard and well-oriented since the beginning until the end of the documentary. He develops a curve through out the film that brings the audience up and down in this film. Also the digital animations that the documentary show, help significantly to have a visual picture in your mind and create a space and time of the events that the documentary is mentioning. Donald Rumsfeld’s smile stands out through out the whole documentary, which brings the question and tagline of the film “Why is this man smiling?” we see him smiling after answering almost every single question. But we don’t really know why is he doing that.

Editing is amazing. It keeps your attention in the film, and it helps in the curve mentioned before to help the audience to focus more in the issues and problems addressed in the film. There is no acting, but the questions asked by Errol Morris are very well-oriented and funny at the same time.

When I watched this documentary, it reminds me to the documentaries made by Michael Moore because they are powerful and reveals truth and personal information of the life of important politicians.

I totally enjoyed my time watching this film. Also, every single person who is interested in politics and very well-made documentaries should watch this film. I also like the question that Errol Morris asks at the end of the movie, it makes you focus even more on the film.