By: Addison Wylie

Drone looks at the controversy attached to the airborne warfare from all angles;  including the conception of the device (including some neat trivial facts about how drones were first intended for fishermen searching for tuna), the budding utilization introduced by the Bush administration, and the ongoing decisive back-and-forth over whether it’s an effective tactic or just creating war crimes.

Considering the subject matter and the high risk surrounding drones, it’s to no surprise that Tonje Hessen Schei’s documentary is colourless and very bleak.  However, it’s a film that gets the audience involved in the debate, and clearly shows us rational answers by the end of the movie.  It’s a smart move for Schei who wants to allow every opinion into the frame and start eliminating logic that fails to hold water.  This film acts as powerful proving ground for Tonje Hessen Schei.

Although all of Drone’s information is useful and thought-provoking, the interviews with former drone operators convey a type of realized depression that can’t be manufactured.  The emotional testimonies by these numbed individuals show us that even though the weaponry keeps our soldiers safe and disconnected from the horrors of war, the humanistic detachment these operators experience act as a brand new challenge.  Long hours are spent in front of a monitor eyeballing blotchy silhouettes, meanwhile these operators hope their military hierarchy is tagging the correct suspicious threats.  The whole procedure lacks assurance, but no one controlling the operation seems to care.

Drone can make a difference, and will hopefully provide more clarity to situations in need of tight problem solving.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie