Die Weißhelme

There are 14 1/10 reviews almost in a row here, I think people should think about where these may have come from as it does not seem like a coincidence.

We live in a time, where conspiracy theories are the new flavor of the month/year. While this short documentary (still 40 minutes long) won an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary, there is a lot of controversy. Well while watching the documentary you may not think about it, but there have been reports that the White Helmets have been paid for by the "West" and are helping terrorists.

Hard to believe to tell you the truth, even though I will admit that some of the scenes filmed did look a bit staged. Something that actually happened with one of the videos uploaded on the internet and has been exposed. But the bombings must be real (I guess you could only argue if they are in cahoots with those who are responsible for the bombings.

If you can actually have a clear mind while watching this, then you will be able to see something remarkable though. It's a grand story of survival, of humanity and of help in general, while risking your own life. And it's up to you to decide whom you want to believe ...

This documentary film tells the story of a group of civilians in Syria, who volunteer for a group called The White Helmets to save lives of people affected by the civil war.

The film contains footage of air raids and rescue. There is a scene where bombs are seen dropping from a plane, trailing them to the ground and then we see buildings explode. This scene just makes me speechless. The miracle baby scene makes me very touched. I hope more people will take part in humanitarian missions. If the war would stop, that would be even better.

At one point in this film, a character looks up at the sky, expecting the inevitable sound of approaching bombs. It's a really poignant moment and encapsulates why this is such an important film to watch. For most of us, the reality is peace - for them, daily, it's war and incessant bombing. The White Helmets, the Syrian heroes who go in to save civilians, are given real heart in this short documentary. But their life of heroics is brutally brought to life by the footage they film themselves in Aleppo. It clearly shows us that what the White Helmets do is not just heroic but also necessary. A really important film to see for all those who are sick of the politics.

This documentary is about the Syrian Civil Defense or "The White Helmets" as the film makers decided to name them. It focuses on the personal side of the characters trying to make the viewer perceive these people as human beings rather than numbers you hear on the news. While the film succeeds at the emotional part, it fails to offer much else. There were many repetitive scenes for a 40 min documentary, and the focus on some characters went overboard sometimes.

Now, I wrote the previous part of my review trying to be as objective as possible. The next part, I will write as a Syrian who isn't on any of the many sides of the Syrian war. What made me write this review, my first on IMDb, is that I noticed many negative reviews seeming to push a propaganda opposite to the propaganda they were claiming this film is about. Comments I have high confidence they come from Syrian Assad supporters so I thought I would try to restore the balance.

While the film clearly favors the side of the WHs, their side itself is about "saving lives" regardless of any other factors so what is there to disagree with? Some commentators said the WHs are terrorists/islamists/etc and I find that really insulting as I don't myself live in a war zone in Syria, I never heard anyone questioning or criticizing WHs. Also, common sense tells me these people don't have to lie about their intentions in a country where there are countless factions fighting. Everyone is free to have their own opinion, but when most of the 1-star reviews come from 1 review accounts I find it fishy - one reviewer stating "England" as his country starts with "Shame on the western-world", a prevalent statement in the Al-Assad regime media.

Syria is a country where many evils fight. You have Al-Assad, factions affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and finally ISIS!! Each side will try to convince you with their story, like Assad fan base in many of the comments I mentioned, but the real story in Syria is about many villains fighting over the pie of things like power/oil/___location and poor people suffering in the crossfire. The only light one can find in this tragedy is people like the ones in this movie whose mandate is save lives. Thank you White Helmets!