BLOOD IN THE MOBILE Review: If You Own A Cell Phone, You Must Watch This Movie

rating: 4

I must admit that, being a couch activist, I was already highly interested in the subject matter of the new documentary by Frank Piasecki Poulsen. The simple blurb - 'Mobile phones are financing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.' - had me instantly hungry to find out more. I have a mobile phone and I have seen much coverage of the various civil horrors that have abounded in Africa across the past decades. Blood In The Mobile looked like it was going to have something to say to me. And it did. From the opening voice over I was introduced to the biased, dogmatic worldview of Danish director Poulsen who acts as the central figure of the film. It is his journey that we follow around the world and his point of view that we are presented with at every turn. I quickly found myself being rubbed the wrong way by Poulsen's locked-in-stone belief that the mobile phone companies were complicit in the murder of 5 million and rape of hundreds of thousands in Congo. And I had only been watching for 2 minutes. Whilst I am very anti of exploitation by the multinational corporate giants, the Michael Moore-style approach to this topic annoyed me, with the director quite clearly setting out purely to prove his own point. During many interviews Poulsen even badgers his interviewees to voice views that support his opinion. And so I settled back, waiting for the self-congratulatory ending where the filmmaker skews the footage to justify their intention. But I wasn't sitting back for long. Before I knew it I was on the edge of my seat as the film throws itself fearlessly (and often unthinkingly) into the middle of some of the most honest and affecting footage I have seen. Poulsen sets out from the relaxed corporate world of Europe on a mission to film at the Biase mine in Kivu, in the DR Congo. From the outset he is confronted by warnings of the very real personal danger of going there; even the UN don't often enter territory so heavily held by the powerful militia groups. When the safer official routes are closed to him, the director navigates much riskier approaches and it is through the journey that the truth of his story begins to shine through. Biase is a tin mine, but it also has a vast resource called cassiterite. This mineral is vital for the production of many electronic products, in particular mobile phones. You need to clear your mind of the image of a western-controlled mine that employs skilled workers and large machinery with a focus on safety. These mines are illegal, and 12 of the 13 largest mines are controlled by armed groups. Many are under the control of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda); a freedom-fighting sounding name until you realise that many of their leaders were involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Poulsen's bulldog-like attitude opens doors through the army and militia, putting many of their number in front of the camera's lens. The brief encounters with these people who are benefiting from the mining profits are horrifying and open your eyes to the way that some in these war-stricken countries view the world. Before long the filmmakers find transport to Kivu and encounter the impoverished locals who work the mine. Pushing himself into their lives for mere moments, Poulsen captures the stark reality that we westerners will never know. And then he reaches the Biase mine itself. There aren't words to describe the emotions that are evoked as you are confronted with blatant honesty, dark humour and the human struggle to survive. From this point on the documentary returns to Europe to confront the powerhouse that is Nokia, and introduce the organisations that are battling this injustice. As the closing credits rolled I realised that I was actually complicit in the atrocities that I had witnessed. Those around me were equally somber and most likely considering similar ethical dilemmas (or working out what they were going to have for dinner). I am still dealing with the issues that were raised by this blindly brave foray into an existence that we who are privileged cannot truly grasp. The words eye-opening are barely enough to describe this film. Blood In The Mobile has the potential to be as culture-changing as An Inconvenient Truth, but without the political powerhouse of Al Gore behind it I fear that too few will be confronted. If you own a mobile phone. If you update it when the new generation model comes out. If you think you can't live without your mobile phone then you need to watch this film. Blood In The Mobile opens in UK cinemas today.