Desert One (Barbara Kopple): USA, Iran

Reviewed by Saman David Mansourian. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2019.

This year, The AFI Fest allowed documentaries in their screenings, a decision I can only commend. Although I thoroughly enjoy a captivating, engaging and well made feature film with fantastic screenplay and acting, documentaries are a different drug. To feel the intensity of real information whilst learning something new just feeds very well to my productivity addiction – but it is also nice that larger institutions reward the hard work of history-adapted storytelling. An exceptionally well made documentary is extremely difficult to produce, it requires a certain genius derived in deep work and focus for creative depth, something most of us have difficulties cultivating – especially in a world dominated by our dopamine-injecting smartphone era. A coherent team working with one another to produce something great deserves recognition, and Desert One is something great.

Barbara Kopple, the director, appeared at the Q&A after the screening. She talked a bit about her process from idea to final product. It is very clear that she is extremely dedicated to her craft. As a prior two-fold academy award winning filmmaker, she knows how to create. She is not something new, hot, or flashy raging through the theaters with snowflake content. She is the established veteran producing great stories consistently, something reassuring when looking for information. What stood out to me particularly was pointed out by a man in the audience who managed to put my thoughts into words: this documentary is like an action-thriller, and informative lesson in war-history all packed into one box. At times, it truly feels like you are watching any Hollywood-produced action movie without all the expensive CGI and special effects, It is so enticing, and so informative, making it a true privilege for us to take part of Barbara Kopple and her teams work.

The film recollecting “Operation Eagle Claw” which intended to save the 52 American diplomats held hostage in Iran, and telling the story about the disastrous events that lead to mission failure, starts off with some history about Iran and the former Shah’s relationship with American presidents throughout his reign. Brief history lessons are given on the Iranian revolution and Ayatollah Khamenei’s rise to power whilst contrasting the dubious effects on the Iranian-American relationship that followed as the US no longer had a puppet in the middle east, one of the consequences being the hostage crisis. There are several reoccurring characters in the film whose interviews are integrated as story progresses. These people were all part of the drama – either as hostages, hostage-takers, family members of hostages, individuals who became collateral damage, as well as journalists, and politicians. Although there is no video footage of the secret mission in Iran, there are never-heard-before audio tapes between the military operation and the Carter administration. The audio tapes are supplemented with animations illustrating the scenes described which are surprisingly effective. The animations are one of the reasons why this documentary in part felt like an action-thriller, they were a nice supplement.

Another reason why this documentary was so enticing was because Barbara Kopple and her team had managed to land interviews with so many main characters whose perspectives we usually never get to hear because they are unaccessible to the general public. As Barbara herself recollected, the greatest addition to the documentary, and also the hardest one to get, was President Jimmy Carter who was calling the shots in the white house at the time. The film gave the perception that, during the time of the crisis, Carter was heavily criticized and doubted by the American population, labelled as weak and indecisive. Little did they know what Carter’s rational was for taking a humanitarian approach, resisting violence unless necessary. One of the main reasons that we know of – and I say know of because there are some conspiracy theories raised at the end of the movie – was that the crisis went on for 444 days because Carter believed in a diplomatic resolution. He tried very hard to respect the previous relationship America had had with Iran by taking a step back and attempting to talk. When this did not work, Carter was forced to try something else, which is when “Operation Eagle Claw” was orchestrated.

The imminent threat of Ronald Raegan overtaking the presidency in the upcoming election was highlighted as pressure arose on President Carter to act with the American public’s best interest in mind. Clips of Raegan proclaiming that America should use all the force they can in order to show that they are not a country to be messed with, something that was very appealing to people. There are some contrasts to be derived with what we are currently seeing in America today. Individuals who feel strongly connected with their nationality are more likely to want to maintain an integrity as if America possesses its own ego like any other individual. An insult to America is an insult to the American population – and politicians use this form of propaganda to earn their votes. Ronald Reagan’s speeches depicted in the film felt extremely reactionary and shallow, especially when contrasted with President Carter’s rationale behind his actions. It is very easy to stand behind a podium and make rash statements, but Carter is obviously a deep thinker who attempts to consider many different factors before making a decision. Taking civilian life is not something that should done lightly – Carter respected this, and ultimately, paid the price by not earning another term in office as the public’s confidence in him was deteriorated.

Apart from the animations, many of the interviews were conducted with long lenses in extreme close ups, showing us all details in the faces of the interviewees. When sadness arouse, we could see the twitches prior to their tears. This created intimacy with the characters and allowed us to feel and connect. Furthermore, although the mission eventually ended in tragedy, it was not all doom and gloom. Barbara and her team managed to depict good things that eventually came out of the 8 unfortunate deaths as a consequence of the events in the mission. Combined with getting President Carter’s side, the film ended in good spirits.