The movie/documentary shows the suspense of the known events, but it also portrays the man at the centre of it all. It doesn't aim to be a cold war thriller - merely the idea that the world came close to annihilation creates a grim suspense around the entire work.
No, the movie aims to show how an ordinary man can act in extra-ordinary circumstances. There is no more telling moment than when Mr Petrov says he was there at the right time, at the right place. Not "the right man", and, by his own account, not a hero. The wish to portray an ordinary man also explains the lengthy (and really very intimate) coverage of his personal experiences and his exchanges with the filmmakers.
It also teaches viewers that ordinary, rational people can come to disastrous outcomes, especially with nuclear weapons on alert. In this respect, it reminded me of "The Fog of War", with Robert McNamara.
The beauty of this piece of cinema is also in the intimate yet "fly on the wall" way it is shot, which gives viewers the feeling of being able to come to their own conclusions of the man and the events (though, clearly, the makers had a strong message). At some stage I even believed he just chickened out of deciding on the attack, though I changed my mind when he was seen to actively lie to his superiors so as not to have them launch a counter-strike. Finally, I was left with the realisation that his decision was the only right one, and it was indeed courageous.
It is a very powerful and educational piece.
No, the movie aims to show how an ordinary man can act in extra-ordinary circumstances. There is no more telling moment than when Mr Petrov says he was there at the right time, at the right place. Not "the right man", and, by his own account, not a hero. The wish to portray an ordinary man also explains the lengthy (and really very intimate) coverage of his personal experiences and his exchanges with the filmmakers.
It also teaches viewers that ordinary, rational people can come to disastrous outcomes, especially with nuclear weapons on alert. In this respect, it reminded me of "The Fog of War", with Robert McNamara.
The beauty of this piece of cinema is also in the intimate yet "fly on the wall" way it is shot, which gives viewers the feeling of being able to come to their own conclusions of the man and the events (though, clearly, the makers had a strong message). At some stage I even believed he just chickened out of deciding on the attack, though I changed my mind when he was seen to actively lie to his superiors so as not to have them launch a counter-strike. Finally, I was left with the realisation that his decision was the only right one, and it was indeed courageous.
It is a very powerful and educational piece.