The White Helmets Film Analysis

What happens when one finds an unfortunate news coverage on their television? They skip it. Why is it that a person will try as hard as possible to ignore these images and pretend they do not exist when it is more real than it seems. This is someone’s reality. March 15, 2011. That was the start of an unfortunate event that is still going on to this day. The Syrian Civil War. The award-winning documentary film “The White Helmets,” directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and released on September 16th of 2016 focuses on a group of indomitable first responders who work every day risking their lives to rescue innocent civilians from the rubble as daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria. The film has voiceovers from the white helmets themselves

Throughout this film, the audience is shown the effects of the war in the city of Aleppo, through the perspective of the White Helmets and what they have to go through each and every day running towards the sounds of explosions to save people stuck inside their homes. In the film, one of the white helmets, Mohamed Farah, says, “I try as hard as possible to save every person under the rubble whether they are young or old, I consider them all to be my family.” The documentary’s success in its approach can be seen with how the filmmakers use pathos to convince the audience of the hardship and torment going through the citizens of Syria, and the struggles of the White

The film holds both clear social and political significance. As a society, there is a responsibility to witness this film and take action against the atrocities being committed. “Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, an estimated 400,000 Syrians have been killed” (CNN). When watching this documentary it can be observed that Syrians who used to have ordinary lives but are now acting to save themselves and others because there is nobody else helping them. The human race is supposed to act as big society. When someone falls down we have a responsibility to help them back