And justice for all

THE SQUARE (A-minus) - This un-narrated documentary about Egypt's democracy movement of the past three years is not so much fly-on-the-wall as it is bomb-in-the-beehive. It is a riveting chronicle that manages to be both a fervent celebration and an urgent polemic as it takes us from the early days of the movement in Tahrir Square to the recent fall of the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate after a year in office.

It's all slickly shot with a digital device that runs with the revolutionaries like the football  field cameras that swoop among the players. Cairo native Jehane Noujaim ("Control Room") stands with her brothers and sisters and captures their fears and emotions as they stand in brave defiance of the military regime. The camera doesn't blink when the tanks start rolling and bullets start flying and a body lies lifeless in the streets. If anything, though, the production at times comes off as a little too slick.

Noujaim focuses on several heroes, who tend to have movie-star good looks. Ahmed Hassan is full of passion and endures more than one knock on the head. Khalid Abdalla is an actor (Scottish born of Egyptian parents, he starred in "The Kite Runner") who serves as the English-language spokesman for the movement. Bespectacled Aida Elkashef is a fellow filmmaker and another strong voice of the people. By keeping her camera trained on these articulate leaders, Noujaim too often renders the rest of the hundreds of thousands of protesters as a faceless mob.

Of course, she's trying to personalize the story here, so the strategy is understandable. It pays off with a powerful dramatic arc. And the camerawork at times is stunning. The God shots from high above give the dramatic sense of a true mass movement, especially one shot that fans out from the square and snakes along adjacent streets and a bridge to suggest the presence of millions of citizens standing up for a free and just society. The images can be frightening, lovely and inspiring. 

INEQUALITY FOR ALL (B+) - Here's former Labor Secretary Robert Reich taking the lectern as wise old Uncle Bob to explain how unfair America's capitalist system is. And he makes it highly entertaining.

First off, the graphics are stellar. They are smart, intuitive, meaningful and easy to grasp; they never detract from the narrative but rather nestle snugly in the production. Second, Reich is highly personable; he's a diehard lefty, but he's not strident or bullying. His self-deprecating humor wears thin at times (we get it, he's really short), but his charm wins out in the end.

Reich served during Bill Clinton's fractured first term, and he apparently burned out on being the contrarian voice on behalf of the lower classes. Another, less fauning, documentary will have to sort that out, but points to Reich and director Jacob Kornbluth for not glossing over Reich's culpability and that of the centrist he served.

This is a zippy little movie with a powerful message that needs to be heard.

BONUS TRACK
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