Burma VJ | Documentary Review

by Shannon C
(Tampa USA)

As I was flipping through my Netflix instant play movies tonight, the documentary Burma VJ caught my eye. I have often seen Burma come up in the news regarding human rights violations, but admit that I really didn't understand what was going on there. Or why Aung San Suu Kyi is such a beloved leader (I knew she had been under house arrest for many years but didn't truly understand why).

So when I saw the title of the documentary pop up in Netflix, plus noticed it was nominated for an Academy Award, I thought it was worth giving it a shot.

I was not disappointed.

The title, Burma VJ, stands for Burma "Video Journalist". The documentary is about a rogue band of citizen journalists living in Burma who risk their lives documenting the human rights violations and tactics of an oppressive government regime. The documentary primarily focuses on the citizen uprising protests against the government of September 2007.

At one point during the documentary, my husband walked in and said how is it? I was just staring at the screen, totally mesmerized. And I said, this documentary is about COURAGE.

It is truly remarkable what the citizens of this great country have been dealing with for so many years. (Great because of the people, not the government).

Burma VJ is a documentary excellently crafted and well told. The director, Anders Østergaard, took untold amount of shaky home video and audio recordings to piece together a compelling and mesmerizing narrative.

I can see why it was nominated for an Academy Award. Excellent storytelling and a story the WORLD needs to hear.

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