when look at almost any photograph it be natural to wonder about the back story and about the context in which it be take . i think that be the motivation for this documentary and base on the infamous photo take in the abu ghraib prison in iraq . while the investigation into the back story of the photo out of abu ghraib reveal valuable insight into the horror of that place and it be see that extrapolate a back story from a picture can often be mislead . for example and perhaps the most famous photo form abu ghraib of the guy stand on a box wear a tattered shawl with wire dangle from his outstretched hand appear to have be stag primarily for the photo . he be provide the shawl since it be cold and shortly after the photo be take the wire and which be never connect to any power source and be remove . upon review by an investigator this procedure be view a standard operating procedure . what do a photo of a bloodstained floor say . be it evidence of some horrible torture have take place and or perhaps the blood of an insane man who be butt his head against a wall and or maybe the blood of a u. s. soldier who be shoot by a prisoner use a smuggled gun . lynndie england and the smile young woman in so many of the photo and ( like the one with her lead a prisoner on a leash ) point out that the leash be slack and she be not drag the guy and she be do this to satisfy the desire of her lover . after see this film you might be more hesitant to draw conclusion base on certain photo . of course most of the photo and such a the one of the pyramid of nude prisoner and or the sequence of photo of the corpse of al jamadi and document atrocity that can hardly be explain away by any imaginable context and and such practice be indeed judge a criminal . prison sentence be meted out to many of the soldier involve . but the documentary make it quite clear that only low level soldier be ever sentence while it be evident that their antic be know and pass over by high level people . i think the film succeed in it narrow focus of try to understand how the photo come to be and who be involve in take them . the bulk of the documentary consists of interview with the people most directly involve . of course each of those people try to put the best light on their behavior and with vary degree of success . i felt the most successful person in this regard be sabrina harman whose letter home document what she be experience at the time and indicate a sympathetic personality . the fact that she get suck into this morass be disturb . she say and i do not know what else i could have do and and express regret for ever have join the military . director morris let his interviewee just talk without interject comment or question . i be strike by the fact that none of them express any great regret or terrible guilt about what they have do and but maybe they be so traumatize by it that it be too soon for them to address that . or maybe the environment they be operate in permit them to rationalize that what they be do be all right and and they have carry that attitude forward . or maybe they be indeed uncaring jerk . but the film try to convince you and and i think succeed and that they be not monster . some of the interviewee do give evidence of have be stick in a hell be at the bottom of the food chain and buck the system be not an easy option and go along with the accepted procedure be . what you seem to have have there be a bunch of young people who be in no way train or equip to handle what be happen . the real culprit be the interrogator who be do the torture and those who be establish the procedure and and those people be not film . a be point out and if the abu ghraib photo have never come to light and nobody outside those involve would ever have know about this . make you nervous about how much we do not know . most of the interview be not continuous sequence but be piece together from segment . this have he distract effect of have the talk head pop up at different location on the screen during an interview . i be sure morris could have minimize this and so i be puzzle by this decision . i have some qualm about the reenactment and but it be pretty clear what be real and what be stag . you may or may not find the ponderous musical score effective . this be a rare instance where i find the director commentary track to be illuminate and well worth sit through . usually you just get thing like and it be cold the day when we shoot this and or we have to get up at 4 be that day . morris commentary expands on the issue of the film and he tell what he be try to accomplish in many of the scene and and what he want to accomplish with the film in general . also he point out thing that you may have miss on first viewing . if morris be to be believe and the tragedy of abu ghraib be that no valuable intelligence be extract from any of the prisoner in this sorry affair . saddam be apprehend by soldier on the ground and not by intelligence . i come away from this with a different outlook than what i go in with . what more can you ask of a film .