Jehane Noujaim's Oscar-nominated documentary The Square follows a group of activists from the 2011 Tahrir Square protests against Hosni Mubarak's regime all the way to the overthrow of President Mohammad Morsi in 2013. The Square highlights the violence, frustration, and political tensions that defined the period between the toppling of the two leaders.
Aside from the tragic images of police brutality, carried out in part with American equipment, The Square charts the dark story behind the story: how the ideologically diverse protesters who came together to oppose Mubarak's regime fractured as the Muslim Brotherhood seized opportunities after Mubarak stepped down. Revolutions can damage, if not destroy, their own fathers.
The Square can be viewed as merely a catalog of the awful unrest and misery that can follow a revolution. But the film also portrays the boldness, courage, and determination of young activists. Those qualities were in some ways naive and misplaced, but they were nonetheless admirable and awe-inspiring.
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