Review of Men in the Arena (2017) by Jake G — 22 May 2017

The director did a fantastic job on this film because he accomplished the goal of showing the story and truth of what happens in the forgotten nation of Somalia. Specifically, the use of interviews of those who live in the corrupt country provide the viewer of first person stories of how hard the life is there. Also, the sound during soccer games and background noises helped add a better perspective of the situation and how somalis communicate to one another. The music and visual design was terrific and added more feelings to the movie as I was watching it. There are many strength of the movie such as the purpose of the interviews, the content of real issues occurring in Somalia, and the footage of all the places the national team traveled to. There are very few weaknesses of the film in my opinion, however, the one that sticks out most is that the film focuses primarily on only two kids rather than everyone on the somali teams and the personal struggles of other people of Somalia.

This movie has definitely shifted my opinion on how america could help Somalia and how the U.S. should deal with refugees of countries that are going through a terrible time. This film also educated me about some of the major conflicts somalis and terrorists have and how extreme Al Shabaab is when it comes to harming innocent citizens. Men in the Arena by J.R. Biersmith receives an A from me because of the way it impacts viewers and informs everyone about the horrorsd and constant fear the people of Somalia live in everyday.