TIFF 2019 Review: This is Not a Movie

British foreign correspondent and author Robert Fisk reflects on a four-decade career that has taken him from Belfast to the Middle East.

Archival news stories and photographs combined with recent interviews with Robert Fisk provide insights into his modus operandi towards journalism; it is not about covering both sides of the victims and victimizers equation but highlighting the injustices being inflicted upon the former even when the latter happens to involve Western democracies.  The journalist is unapologetic about his approach and remains defiant despite the accusations of being a terrorist sympathizer or being unable to take an objective view as he has been covering and living in the Middle East for too long.

There is a prevailing eloquence and pragmatic clarity with the words in which Fisk speaks and writes; he is not a fan of the rapid growth of online reporting that is tainted by rumours and assumptions rather than feet on the ground investigation.  Tragedies are not single news headline for Fisk as he revisits the places where heinous crimes were committed and had been witness firsthand by him.   The title of the documentary stems from the sobering realization that perpetrators do go unpunished but the greater crime would be not providing a voice for those who suffer at their hands.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.