Written by Jade Strack, Photo courtesy of SCAD
The film “Official Secrets” opens to Kathrine Gun standing in front of the court. Gun has been charged with leaking official top-secret documents, and they ask how she pleads. The film then brings us through every moment leading up to this, covering not only Gun’s life, but also the lives of those connected to the document that exposes illegal acts within the government.
Director, Gavin Hood, spectacularly brought this journey to life, by giving much needed credit to those who risked everything to bring the corruption to light.
In 2003, Gun worked for the Government Communication Headquarters, a British intelligence agency. It was there she received a memo from the NSA containing a scandalous directive that implied the United Kingdom and the United States were planning to give false information in order to start the Iraq War. With nothing to gain and everything to lose, Gun still chose to share this information with the public in order to unveil the injustice. This decision incites not only chaos in the world, but also great upheaval in her own life.
Today, not many people recognize the name Kathrine Gun. Not many know the risk she took, the backlash she endured or the scandal she uncovered. This film honors her and shows the world in thought-provoking way. The relationships within in the film feel as though they’re real. The love between Katharine and her husband, Yasar Gun, is undeniable, and the punishment they must to endure together is heart stopping.
Hood uses chemistry among each character to bring them to life. The relationships that form as a result of Gun’s acting are quite inspiring. Martin Bright and Ben Emmerson stick by Kathrine the whole time, even helping her expose the government. All of these people and more were an integral part in uncovering the illegal acts within the U.S. and U.K. governments.
Everything in the film is known fact, yet it feels like anything could happen. In the beginning, Gun stands in court accused of being a whistleblower but somehow throughout the film it feels as though she may not be caught, she may not be punished. However, the document is real, the illegal actions were without a doubt proven, and yet the whole situation feels like it will never truly be revealed. The whole film feels as if it was made up, one big conspiracy, but it is all written down as factual evidence. There are no dramatic chase scenes and Gun never dons a cape, but still the film plays as though you are watching a superhero movie.
