It has been a year and a half since the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, which occurred May 2, 2011. Some of us may hear adults ask your parents or grandparents, “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” or “Where were you during 9/11?” These were two very tragic events, but the more upbeat question that will be asked in our future is “Where were you when Seal Team 6 killed Bin Laden?”

   The film begins in 2003 showing a Saudi terrorist named Ammar, being interrogated and later tortured by American CIA members. The main character, Maya (Jessica Chastain) is standing frantic near her ally, Dan (Jason Clarke) as he water boards Ammar. Dan repeatedly asks Ammar, “Where is Abu Ahmed?” Ammar eventually tells Dan that there will be an attack in a Pakistani hotel soon, so Dan rewards him.

   The story then moves onto the CIA searching for Abu Ahmed, who is an ally of Osama Bin Laden. Maya runs into chaos at a bombing in an Islamabad Marriot in 2008 and the world begins turning for Maya as she hears that her best friend, Jessica was killed in the Camp Chapman Attack (2009). Maya realizes that there is no way in hell that she’ll get out of this war in the middle east by lollygagging.

   The story begins to hit the climax in 2010, when Maya has located a compound in Abbottabad in which she believes Ahmed is hiding in. She and her colleague discover there is a possibility that Bin Laden is hiding in the same compound. Next, Leon Panetta (Secretary of Defense) (James Gandolfini) is calling for CIA members to state the percentage of their confidence if Bin Laden is living there, in order to execute the plan. Maya states, “100 percent!”

Ending (Spoiler Alert)

   It has been 129 days since Maya discovered the compound and the executive of the CIA calls her, stating that the compound will be raided tonight. Maya becomes nervous and Seal Team 6 is packing their weapons up and two helicopters are heading towards the compound with Dan. The first helicopter lands fine and the other crashes. Then, the Seals raid the house and kill four. Finally, a Seal calls, “Osama!” and shoots him numerous times. The Seals raid his office and keep some files, but puts the hard drives in the damaged helicopter and they blow it up.

   Maya is conflicted and she identifies the body as Osama Bin Laden. An airplane picks her up and asks her “Where do you want to go?” Maya begins crying. Fine.

   The Ending can be described, as a metaphor for what should America do now? Should we keep fighting? Should we pull out of Afghanistan? In the end, the audience will make the decision.

Review

   Zero Dark Thirty is a superb summary of the terror that had gone on in the world for nearly ten years. The film itself can be described as an award-winning picture, at least to me it is. It shows the hardships of life and what we as people must overcome. The ending, which displayed Maya crying, makes the audience realize that searching for something is only half the battle, but finding something is what you must overcome. Maya stands for the general public and society alone.