I guess the "social capital" blog is supposed to focus on fun social activities, but I've got one for you that's social, important, for-a-limited-time-only, and not the least bit fun.  

You may not have heard about "No End in Sight," the latest and in my opinion best of the Iraq war documentaries, because it hasn't gotten much mainstream coverage yet and is only playing in one theater in the district (E st).  I've seen a few others of the Iraq docs and this is by far the most thorough investigation of pre-war and current policy decisions with the most credible experts available, focusing less on the day-to-day experiences of the men and women in our military and the situation on the ground.

Through a series of interviews with high level current and former members of this administration and two combat veterans, Charles Ferguson attempts not to find a scapegoat for the failures of this seemingly endless war, but to give the viewer an honest, complicated look at the many crucial moments, bad decisions, and behind-the-scenes key players that led us to where we are now.  

Bush, for example, is hardly mentioned or blamed for anything, with the focus instead being on Rumsfeld, Bremer, Cheney, and Wolfowitz.  This is a key success of the film.  Instead of harping on what we all already know - that Bush is untrustworthy, incompetent, and a puppet at best, Ferguson pushes past the valid and satisfying easy Bush bashing.  He instead prods his interview subjects to reflect on their own roles in this spiraling conflict, which some are willing to do on camera, with great poignancy, but not others.

Ferguson also doesn't advocate for any particular position or agenda, which is another success of the film and which I hope will allow it to be perceived as I perceive it - non-partisan.  He doesn't call for immediate withdrawal, he doesn't advocate the surge, and he doesn't offer much personal point of view on the situation at all, using abrupt camera close-ups  and lingering shots to let his subjects determine the film's tone - cynical and hopeless - and fills the rest of the film with images most Americans don't want to see - dead and maimed Iraqi and American bodies and hordes of suddenly unemployed Iraqi civilians toting automatic weapons.

So, go see it with friends, and take yourselves out to a nice dinner beforehand so this social event feels less  grim. 

Movie website:  http://noendinsightmovie.com/

NYTimes Review:  http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/movies/27sigh.html?8dpc&pagewanted=print

How much of your hard-earned money has financed this? Find out:  http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Publications/Local-Costs-of-the-Iraq-War-8.html