GIFF Opening NightFeat. Eye In The SkyWed., March 30, Tampa Theatre.7 p.m., $15. gasparillafilmfestival.com
The tenth annual Gasparilla Film Festival kicks off tonight at Tampa Theatre! Here's Kate Bradshaw's capsule review of provocative featured film, Eye In The Sky:
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be discussing the ethics of drone strikes; there wouldn’t be any because there would be neither terrorism nor its underlying causes. The reality, though, is exponentially more complicated. Director Gavin Hood sets out to explore the messy world of modern warfare from all sides in Eye In The Sky, starring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman and Aaron Paul. The film asks readers to explore a common moral dilemma in war: Is it worth it to take one innocent life in order to preserve the lives of perhaps dozens? Rather than preach to his audience about whether drones should be used to kill suspected terrorists overseas, Hood takes us to a military base in Nevada from which drones are remotely piloted, the headquarters in the U.K. where the orders are being made, and Nairobi, Kenya, where confirmed al-Shabaab operatives appear to be preparing an extensive suicide attack as a little girl sells loaves of bread nearby. What ensues is a quick-moving, heart-wrenching effort to do what’s right, whatever that is.