One of the most acclaimed documentaries of 2022 was Matthew Heineman’s “Retrograde,” which provided a tragic look at the final months of American presence in Afghanistan. The film received critical acclaim for its access and compelling storytelling. Following in its footsteps, Ibrahim Nash’at’s documentary “Hollywoodgate” serves as a sequel, exploring the first year of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal. While “Hollywoodgate” offers an interesting commentary on documentary access, it falls short as a documentary that fully explores its subject matter.
Ibrahim Nash’at, an Egyptian journalist, arrived in Kabul just days after the American withdrawal. Armed with only a camera and an Afghan translator, Nash’at was granted access to two Taliban officials stationed at the Hollywood Gate complex, which was claimed to be an evacuated CIA base. However, the condition for this access was that Nash’at had to present a favorable image of the Taliban to the world. Nash’at was torn between the Taliban’s desired narrative and his own objective of presenting the truth. This conflict sets the stage for an exploration of the power and limitations of documentary filmmaking.
The documentary follows Nash’at’s year-long journey with the two Taliban officials: Malawi Mansour, an inexperienced Air Force commander, and M.J. Mukhtar, a psychologically scarred lieutenant. The Hollywood Gate complex itself becomes a character in the film, showcasing the abandoned aircraft, weapons, and technology left behind by the American forces. Nash’at captures the process of the Taliban trying to adapt to their new role as a military regime while simultaneously documenting their conversations, reactions, and background details to uncover the truth.
Throughout the film, Nash’at strategically exposes the artifice surrounding documentary filmmaking. He includes scenes where soldiers discuss him and scenes where his camera appears in reflections, highlighting the awareness of his subjects. The Talibs themselves comment on his camera movements, especially when it focuses on women wearing face-coverings, revealing their contempt and disdain. While Nash’at’s tactics expose the artificiality, they also demonstrate the limitations of his access and the challenges he faces in capturing the truth.
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It is likely that “Hollywoodgate” ended up being closer to the documentary that the Taliban officials wanted rather than the one Nash’at and the editors, Atanas Georgiev and Marion Tuor, intended to create. Despite this, the documentary still serves as an important piece of work. It prompts the question of what cost the Taliban incurs by allowing such access. The Taliban subjects in the film do not show any self-consciousness about their misogyny, antisemitism, or their hatred for Americans because these elements are part of their brand. They appear neither malevolent nor righteous, but rather disconcerting.
Instead of being overtly tragic or horrifying, “Hollywoodgate” leaves viewers unsettled. Nash’at’s observational approach treats the Hollywood Gate complex like a post-apocalyptic setting, with survivors making sense of the debris left by the previous civilization. This resonates more than the glimpses of Afghan civilians and children that Nash’at managed to capture. While Nash’at may have hoped for a more definitive and cautionary narrative, “Hollywoodgate” gains potency in its exploration of the complicated cost of access, making it more relevant to documentary filmmaking as a whole rather than just an immediate documentary about Afghanistan.
In conclusion, “Hollywoodgate” offers an intriguing exploration of documentary access and the power and limitations of filmmaking. While it may fall short as a documentary solely focused on its subject matter, it serves as an important commentary on the complexities of capturing truth in such challenging circumstances. “Hollywoodgate” prompts viewers to consider the impact of access and the compromises made in the pursuit of telling a story. As the documentary landscape continues to evolve, films like “Hollywoodgate” serve as reminders of the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by filmmakers seeking to document the world’s most forbidden and foreboding backdrops.
