Aaron Ettestad

Professor Sama Waham

DMS 211 PLASMA

5/14/2019

“Film doesn’t need to be entertaining.” There is an importance to a piece of media being

disturbing, and Duraid Munajim sums it up eloquently with that quote. While it is typical to

expect films, even if nonfictional, to provide some form of light entertainment, they don't lose

value when they lack such. Disturbing works of media are important for not only their distinct

memorability but also the impact they can have on the viewer’s mindset going forward. Pictures

like Steve Reinke’s experimental piece Rib Gets In The Way or Talal Derki’s documentary Of

Fathers and Sons demonstrate this greatly in unique ways.

There are multiple methods that lend a disturbing film to be more memorable than most

others. A moment of imagery, sound, a story beat, or even just an idea can stick with a viewer

forever. In the case of Steve Reinke’s performative documentary Rib Gets In The Way, the

imagery and ideas become engrained into the audience’s head; whether they like it or not. With

even the title being a reference to self fellatio, there is no lack of graphic sexual content in

Reinke’s film. Ejaculation into one’s own mouth, a telephone inserted into a rectum, and the

director himself ranking deceased marines in terms of attractiveness. However, these moments

alone is not what makes the film effective. They may be memorable, but there needs to be a

purpose. Otherwise, one could just look up disturbing images online and get about the same

effect. Thankfully, Rib delivers with a connecting theme that bridges these jarring moments

together.
 “A journey through [Reinke’s] universe in an associative film essay that deals with

complex material humorously.”. This description from The International Film Festival

Rotterdam (2017) is an accurate way to sell the film. Even with no overarching narrative, it is

certainly a journey, with complicated, astrological ideas being tackled throughout the piece. The

relationships between science, reality, god, death and of course sex are brought into question.

Viewers can walk away from this film not just remembering the instances of shock, but also

pondering the bold messages that connected them.

For a more traditional yet more disturbing documentary, we turn to director Talal Derki’s

2018 film Of Fathers and Sons. Revisiting his homeland of Syria, Derki infiltrates and captures

the daily life of Abu Osama with his many sons. What makes this piece especially enlightening

is how it portrays this family. The father Abu is part of the radical Islamic group, Al-Nusra, who

are active in the current Syrian civil war. His oldest sons Osama and Ayman mature and train for

this group as well throughout the over two-year timeline of the film.

If Rib is a bonfire with some unexpected sparks throughout, Of Fathers and Sons is a lit

match that slowly consumes a whole house. The particular pace works in a way so that the

viewer is attached to this family before they even realize it. One of the earliest scenes in the

movie has Abu praising Osama Bin Laden, being grateful that his son of the same name was

born on 9/11. The glee that he gets from that is disturbing, but it is still glee. It’s one of the many

natural emotions that we see from the Osama family, which greatly humanizes them. It allows

viewers to have a slight level of sympathy for this terrorist Abu, who appears as a caring family

man when in his home. The eye-opening nature of this film is also immensely present with the

focus on his sons. Being proud to have decapitated a bird just like his father did to a man, one of

Abu’s youngest sons clearly looks up to his father. Violence is ever present with the children, far
beyond what American audiences are used to. Killing animals, throwing stones at female

classmates, fighting each other, making bottle bombs, plus wanting to both shoot guns and train

for war; violence is an accepted standard. The scene with the bottle bomb in particular highlights

how the editing of the film adds punch to each moment. After the children stomp and throw the

bottle until it explodes, it cuts to their father defusing real mines. This effectively hints towards

the sons’ aggressive future but also foreshadows the real bomb that will later go off and remove

Abu’s foot.

That severe injury is another example where the emotions of these people are almost

surprisingly human. Abu’s whole house is filled with the sounds of sobbing as his family is

distraught when he returns without his left foot. The children still get sad like normal children,

they aren’t numb to all violence. It is a relatable moment to anyone who has had a loved one hurt

before. The audience is brought closer to the Osama family, even if they largely disagree with

them morally. It’s the most graphic yet most emotional scene in the entire film and powerfully

captures the purpose Talal Derki had in mind.

“These are people like us, with a sickness” the director says during the question and

answer segment in PLASMA. There is violence throughout the film, but Derki makes sure it’s

not the forefront. What’s important to him is that audiences understand these people on a human

level, not just on a threat level. While the film ending of Abu’s oldest sons in training camp may

seem to conradict this notion, it actually closes it perfectly. The horrifying quality of seeing these

children, who are just becoming teenagers, wearing masks, pointing rifles and training for

combat is disturbing enough. Yet when considering the couple of scenes where they cry and play

like normal children, the Al-Nusra training becomes the most poignant part of the film. There is

an intense contrast between the innocent child and a war hungry fighter, yet they become one
and the same. The unforgettable nature of such is a great reason why Of Fathers and Sons

succeeds as a deeply upsetting documentary.

Having this much of an impact on viewers, the people behind the making of these films

are obviously scarred as well. In an interview with IndieWire (2018), Talal Derki reveals that he

is still recovering psychologically, and needing sleep aids to not wake up during his nightmares.

Giving this kind of damage to the audience isn’t the goal with these disturbing pictures.

However, it certainly adds importance and weight to the film if they actually walk away feeling

worse than before the viewing.

Reinke and especially Derki shine out among all other PLASMA speakers for this toll

that comes with their works. Every presenter undoubtedly had a purpose with their art, but none

were as effective in circling the viewers’ minds even weeks after. Their films are unlike other

bold imagery, such as the interactive experience with Jodie Mack’s Fine Lines or even the almost

gratuitous violence in many Tarantino films. Both The Rib Gets in The Way and Of Fathers and

Sons deliver messages with their disturbing memorability. These are messages that are not only

quality enough to ponder on but can also alter the viewer’s life by doing so. In fact, a

Cornerstone study from Minnesota State University has found that viewing unsettling media can

actually lead to growth. The study claims that this growth can “occur in various ways including

competencies (confidence, coping skills, knowledge), life philosophies (changes in life meaning,

life values, goals), relationships with others (deepened bonds, increased social network), and

lifestyle changes.”(2015, p16).

If viewers can be positively impacted by learning from these films, then it’s worth it to

watch them in their entirety. Even if they feel like they're being subjected to them at certain

points. It’s crucial not to avoid disturbing works like these as they can bring up important
psychological, social, and mental questions. Those questions can be proposed in less troubling

media as well, but it’s that level of disturbance which truly drives such themes home. It creates

not only an unforgettable experience but one that is worth remembering as well.
Works Cited:

“Rib Gets in the Way.” IFFR, 27 Oct. 2017, iffr.com/en/2015/films/rib-gets-in-the-way.

Thompson, Anne. “Talal Derki Made His Documentary About Jihadists in Syria By Pretending

to Join Their Holy War.” IndieWire, Penske Business Media, 13 Dec. 2018,

www.indiewire.com/2018/12/of-fathers-and-sons-undercover-filmmaking-jihadists-

1202027628/.

Gundermann, Christine Nicole. “Created Equal? Comparing Disturbing Media Outcomes Across

Occupations.” Semanticscholar.org, Minnesota State University - Mankato, 2015,

pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6525/d5f18f9ff5cf30e89bf9dc02b25046b81c93.pdf.