Errol Morris’ documentary — a riveting extended interview with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld — is a cat-and-mouse game in which each player – interviewer & interviewee – thinks he’s the cat, making it both thrilling and disconcerting to watch. It is also a nature documentary about behavior at the very top of the imperial food chain, as well as a detective story about the search for a mystery that is hidden in plain sight. Morris weaves the central interview through archival footage, poetic images, and an evocative musical score — all of which makes for a powerful work of cinema. An extraordinary combination of history, art, politics, and the complexities of language.
This film will be introduced by Kathryn Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs, CWRU.