Reviewed by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK certification Exempt | UK RRP £14.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 86 minutes | Directed by Anders Ostergaard
Burma VJ is nothing short of an absolutely courageous film. Risking life and limb, reporters from independent network, the Democratic Voice of Burma, captured hours of footage of peaceful marches and demonstrations against the military-ruled country, only to receive beatings and bullets in return from the tyrannical government.
Narrated by “Joshua”, a 27-year-old video journalist, the film documents the iron fist-ruling government of Burma's sickening retaliation against all those who speak out against it, showing shockingly raw footage that was smuggled out of the country, from killings in the middle of the street in broad daylight, to young men beaten half to death, all as they fight for the freedom they as human beings deserve as their birth right.
This important documentary is one for the world to see, to open our eyes to the horrific reality of what it is like to live in Burma, to live in fear; to live in a country where those who should be protecting you are your enemy; to know that those who should be the shining light of your freedom are nothing but an evil dictatorship. Burma VJ is a vicious handicam documentation of an untold story: September 2007's Saffron Revolution resulted in the loss of innocent lives, through both murder and capture. No one even knows the whereabouts of those captured, it's truly horrendous. The film left me angry and startled. It's a tense documentary that will suck you in to the political chaos on screen as you are fixated on these shocking points of view. The film has been nominated for a Best Documentary Academy Award this year and it truly deserves one simply based on the courage and human will put into documenting the terror. Anders Ostergaard has pieced together an unforgettable film.
EXTRAS ★★ A message from Richard Gere, interviews with Richard Gere, Lise Lense-Moller and director Anders Ostergaard, and the theatrical trailer.