Eye in the Sky showcases dilemmas of modern warfare

Students, faculty, and community members packed the Browning Cinema in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center for a free viewing of Eye in the Sky. The 102-minute film, released in 2015, provides a fictional look into a number of challenges that have arisen from modern warfare.

Hosted by the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the screening was a part of a three-film “Campaign Concerns” series “intended to foster thoughtful discussion around pressing issues central to the 2016 election,” as the description on the website states. The Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy partnered with the Center, and support came from ND Votes as well.

David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, delivered a brief introduction to the film.

“[Eye in the Sky] opens a small window quite effectively into this world,” Cortright said, referring to the use of drone warfare and the many political, legal, and ethical questions that come with such use.

Cortright suggested the film screening should merely be the start of a “deeper exploration of the many troubling challenges that are emerging in this new chapter in the history of armed conflict.”

The film begins in the United Kingdom where Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) wakes to the news of the murder of an undercover Kenyan agent by terrorist group Al-Shabaab. This spurs her to call a mission to capture top-level Al-Shabaab militants who are gathering in Nairobi, Kenya.

Through the use of various drone technologies, Powell and a team of prominent political and military leaders including British Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) are able to surveil the militants. This leads to the discovery that the militants are preparing for a suicide bombing, moving Powell to change the goal of the mission from capture to kill by airstrike.

The mission is delayed, however, when a young girl named Alia Mo’Allim (Aisha Takow) begins selling bread near the targeted house, putting her in mortal danger if the airstrike were to be carried out. Efforts are made to lure Mo’Allim away, but are to no avail.

With little time to spare before the militants are expected to depart their location, Powell and her team must make the decision whether to strike the house or risk a greater amount of casualties from potential suicide bombings. A number of twists and turns fill the final moments of the film, leaving the viewer with much to consider.

“Eye in the Sky left me with more questions than I began with. The war conflict portrayed in the film reaches deeper into the inner conflict surrounding the morality of drone warfare,” sophomore Andie Tong reflected to the Rover. She continued, “I was moved to be more mindful of how I can promote peace in even the smallest of ways.”

The next two events in the Campaign Concerns series will be screenings of the films Freedom Summer (2014) on September 21 and Don’t Tell Anyone (2015) on October 26, which explore race and immigration related issues, respectively. More information can be found at humanrights.nd.edu.

Matt Connell is a sophomore studying management consulting and political science. He thoroughly enjoyed reporting on this event which included complimentary popcorn and soft drinks. You can reach him at mconnel6@nd.edu.