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Zero Dark Thirty, Affecting America Essay Describing the murder of Osama Bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty remains top in the box office, garnering over five Oscar nominations and deeply affecting its audiences. Disturbing and poignant, this â€Å"R† rated production accurately depicts the nature of war in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, while viewers vicariously experience the violence of terror attacks and observe the involvement of America’s Military and Intelligence Communities. Scenes exhibiting torture techniques spark controversy, leading to discussions about the ethics surrounding their use. Lastly, the dramatic story highlights the career of Maya, a female CIA operative determined to bring about the capture of Osama Bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty introduces viewers to the horrors of the war on terror and those who fight the battle, the controversial subject of torture, and the inspirational character Maya. While dinning at a premier Pakistani hotel, Maya and her fellow diners’ lives abruptly change when the room around them explodes, the result of a suicide bomb. Through the portrayal of events such as these, Zero Dark Thirty reveals the horrific conditions under which American military and intelligence personnel work. Far from the minds of most American’s, but constantly in the minds of those on the front lines, looms the thought that each day could bring death for themselves or their colleagues. Living under these conditions, the mind snaps leaving one in every eight soldiers returning from overseas suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, proving that the pain of working in these circumstances scars the soul. Zero Dark Thirty introduces not only the horrors of torture, but the necessity of obtaining information. Struggling with the idea of forcefully extracting information from detainees, America’s shifting political environment after a presidential election reveals itself in a scene where United States President, Barack Obama, orders the Central Intelligence Agency to end the use of torture techniques. Too easily, graphic scenes of torture override the weak memories of Americans and they forget the heinous deeds propagated on uninvolved bystanders. People should never lose the intensity of the shock experienced on September, 11, 2001 when realizing that the objects tumbling from the twin towers no longer resembled pieces of the falling buildings, but came into focus as innocent victims leaping to their death before the inferno claimed their body and soul. Vital information withheld by radical jihadists endangers the lives of millions of people as terror plots blow apart the world. Zero Dark Thirty reopens this conversation. Serving as a powerful female image to many young women in America, actress Jessica Chastain portrays a determined CIA operative who seeks to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. Throughout the movie, Maya expresses her morals by remaining persistent in her journey to find Osama Bin Laden. In one scene she expresses her plans for the future, after a bombing killed many of her colleagues, stating â€Å"Im going to smoke them (Bin Laden’s assistants) and then Im going to kill Bin Laden.† No matter how many disregarded her or underestimated her research, in the end her incredible persistence led to the defeat of the mastermind behind 9/11 who destroyed many lives of American families. She set an example to young women as she stood strong against a group of men disagreeing with her, always remaining certain in a sea of uncertainty, providing America with closure and reward for over a decade of work. Recounting history’s greatest manhunt, Zero Dark Thirty introduces the world to another level of terrorism, explaining everything from detailed missions to their Pakistani allies. Characters like Maya speak volumes about the type of people protecting our country and how their lives remain on the line to ensure the safety of American citizens. Disputing the recent controversy over a process referred to as enhanced interrogation techniques, the new information known about the treatment of detainees left a sense of necessity for the use of torture methods on jihadists, knowing that it can save lives. Without a doubt everyone will leave the theater with a sense of pride in our nation for accomplishing such a hard task, but also feeling somber as they relive large terror attacks such as 9/11, or think upon the unknown bombings that occur every day in foreign countries. Work Cited: â€Å"Zero Dark Thirty† http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/ â€Å"Study of 9/11 Emotional Response† http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2015528,00.html â€Å"1 in 8 returning soldiers suffers from PTSD† Associated Press. Date Last Revised: 6/30/2004.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5334479/ns/health-mental_health/t/returning-soldiers-suffers-ptsd/ â€Å"Election will decide future of interogation metods for terrorism suspects† Charlie Savage http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/us/politics/election-will-decide-future-of-interrogation-methods-for-terrorism-suspects.html?_r=0