USA vs. Al-Arian (2007)

Original title

USA mot AL-ARIAN

Directed by

Line Halvorsen

Genre

documentary film

Country

Norway

Runtime

1h 40m

Rating

4.5 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A Norwegian documentary follows Sami Al-Arian and his family during and after his federal trial on terrorism charges. It shows the emotional toll of the legal process and raises questions about the justice system under the Patriot Act.

intimatebiasedsympathetictensecriticalfamily-focusedsomberunsettling

What happens

USA vs AL-ARIAN is 2007 documentary film about Sami Al-Arian and his family during and after his federal trial on terrorism-related charges. It was directed by the Norwegian director Line Halvorsen. According to the St. Petersburg Times, the film "glosses over the specific charges, and pays scant attention to the evidence." However Variety notes that, "Though unquestionably biased, eye-opening docu "USA vs Al-Arian" throws the spotlight on a justice system shanghaied by the Patriot Act, leaving a deeply sympathetic family frayed but not quite broken." In the trial, the jury acquitted Al-Arian of nearly half the charges, and deadlocked on the remaining charges. After the trial, Al-Arian pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy to help a terrorist organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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