Review of Punishment Park (1971) by Ajai K — 09 Jan 2014

The film could be thought of as a political allegory of the tense situation prevailing in the early between those who are advocating the end of the war in Vietnam, racial equality i.e. the radical left and leftist movements, who sought to achieve their goals by means of protesting and formation of organizations and by literature of dissent agaisnt those who are more concerned about the law and order and the preservation of the status quo.

The pseudo documentary switches between the harrowing experiences of those who are forced to run through the Mojave in the scorching midday sun and whether the freezing heat of the night and those who are standing trial to allegations of dissent against the establishment of the govt.

The characters are portrayed realistically and with appropriate attire - with those advocating dissent shown to be dressed up in casuals and no concern about how they're dressed and those who are sitting on the bench in proper formal and dignified attire.

Through these polemical discourses, the director seeks to provoke a dialogue or start a debate among the national leaders or all those who want to have a say about the issues that plague America and which has caused so much unrest and friction.

This documentary is certainly one-sided but also it is trying portray the chaotic times that America had witnessed earlier in the sixties in a pictorial and allegorical form, where trust between the authorities and the citizens were at their lowest. Thus is it renders a necessary viewing to those who seek to learn about the ideas that were in the political climate. And also the totalitarian nature of those who run the power.