This documentary follows one Afghan general, Sami Sadat, to tell an emotional story.
Matthew Heineman’s latest documentary, “Retrograde,” wisely does not attempt to provide a comprehensive account of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Shot over the nine months following the confirmation of the U.S. withdrawal in early 2021, the shrewdly observant film sticks with one Afghan general, Sami Sadat, to tell an emotional story that feels as significant as any analysis of troop numbers.
At first, Sadat and his men receive training from the Green Berets. But when the Americans must leave, the Afghans soon feel overwhelmed — their fragile-looking flag speaks volumes — and are increasingly besieged by Taliban forces. The notably youthful Sadat does his best to solve whatever comes his way, whether it’s a matter of arranging military strikes, helping ebbing morale or working on equipment shortfalls. There’s cockpit footage from helicopters, and Sadat makes a harrowing convoy trip.
But this isn’t a profile or a battlefield documentary. The slide into defeat is expressed through faces at Sadat’s command posts more than with blood on the front lines. The filmmakers single out potent vérité scenes of vulnerability, fear and sheer nerves, like when Sadat keeps waving off an underling who warns of worsening battle conditions. When he and his men later hole up at a governor’s compound as Taliban fire crackles nearby, the desperation is palpable.
The attention to detail conveys these feelings without coming across as polemical (though the depiction of helpful U.S. soldiers rings a tad effortful). A lingering shot of a dazed Afghan woman at Kabul’s airport during the August chaos around the Taliban takeover suggests a reply to the famous 1984 National Geographic cover — as if history is repeating itself with fresh suffering.
Retrograde
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. In theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
