As other have commented, the movie tries to apply a relatively even hand to both sides of the chechen conflict, possibly being a little more biased to the chechen point of view. What surprised me about this movie was that I came out of it more supportive of the Russian side of the conflict. Let me explain: Lets say you are a American living in present day Wyoming. Now imagine if there still existed unassimilated cheyenne indians in the area living out their old traditions and who would still periodically conduct war parties and scalp and kill anyone they found who was not a part of their tribe. If you are living in Wyoming, taking trips outside urbanized areas becomes quite harrowing. Such conditions would make one lose one's fascination of Indian culture quite rapidly.
Present day conditions in the Caucauses are not so much different than the hypothetical example given above. These traditional Islamic cultures can be extraordinarily savage and haven't progressed much in the last 1000 years. The only current technology they have embraced is that which allows them to kill more people.
The movie is well written and directed. It does try to be as honest as humanly possible with the subject matter. As a result, one is not preached to and allowed to make up their own mind, which is very rare in film.
Present day conditions in the Caucauses are not so much different than the hypothetical example given above. These traditional Islamic cultures can be extraordinarily savage and haven't progressed much in the last 1000 years. The only current technology they have embraced is that which allows them to kill more people.
The movie is well written and directed. It does try to be as honest as humanly possible with the subject matter. As a result, one is not preached to and allowed to make up their own mind, which is very rare in film.