"The Square" Extra Credit

This documentary lives up to its winning of the Academy Awards, and so much more. What I loved about this film is the courage and willingness the people of Cairo and Egypt were able to put out there; and not just them but also the people who made this documentary possible. We get to see the Egyptians turbulent and dramatic course they took through the eyes of several Egyptian activists. Seeing the protests in this film was so inspiring and courageous, I felt so deeply their sense of idealism and sacrifice that the early protestors must have felt. The crackdowns from the military that followed the downfall of President Mubarack was horrifying and shocking to witness, it even gave me chills at some points. The actor did a marvelous job portraying the troubles and serious consequences the people of Egypt were to face if something wasn't to be done about this issue. 

I liked very much how the film also portrayed the failures of the protests, giving great insight into the ongoing troubles and determination it took to get across their message of  wanting freedom. The documentary had deeply compelling characters which is also why I think it was so alluring and captivating to watch. It was powerful to watch these activists and protestors trying to make a change despite the attacks and struggles the had to face along the way. It was also very compelling to see the different men and woman of all social backgrounds having discussions and conversations in the square talking about the future, the hope for change. 

The use of social media played a major role in this documentary. Because of the courage the cast and actors had, we were all able to understand the hardships the Egyptian people were facing every day. The cast and characters who were involved risked their lives to have us see this and this is why this documentary is so important and relevant to us then and even today. The footage invited us into the lives of various individuals, all fighting for the same purpose. It was very interesting to see the different perspectives of these people. 

This documentary greatly reminds me of the "Umbrella Revolution" that started in September in Hong Kong. Both the people of Egypt and of Hong Kong were fighting for the same thing, freedom. Joshua Wong was a major voice of this revolution, leading the demonstrators to breach a security barrier and enter the forecourt of the Central Government Complex. Joshua reminds me of Khalid in this documentary, both being a voice for a great cause. Khalid realized the powerful effect that social media could play in his effort for people to know what was happening outside of their world, which is why he was smart enough to start his own Youtube videos. This documentary was overall extremely well done and overwhelmingly powerful with people putting their lives on the line to share their struggles in hopes for a brighter future.