XY CHELSEA MANNING
US, 2019, 92 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Tim Travers Hawkins.
Chelsea Manning has become a significant figure in 21st-century American history and culture.
Formerly, Bradley Manning served in the US Army, in military intelligence, serving in Iraq. Manning then downloaded thousands of military documents, sent them to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, the main available site for exposing military violence. WikiLeaks published more details and names than Manning intended.
Manning was arrested, tried, sentenced to 35 years in military prison, served time in solitary confinement, was transferred to Fort Leavenworth. At the end of his presidency, Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence and in 2017 Manning was released from prison. Manning had pleaded guilty.
The other significant element in Manning’s life was his sexual orientation and his move to transgender. Bradley Manning became Chelsea Manning.
This documentary focuses on these elements in Manning’s life but takes the line of the personal approach, a great deal of footage of Manning at the time of trial, glimpses of prison, and a focus on Chelsea Manning’s activity after release from prison, forthright, speaking publicly, even and attempt at standing for the Senate in 2018. But, it is emphasised, that the authorities were still in pursuit of Manning, pursuing some arrests and internment.
Some reviewers have expressed disappointment with this film – hoping for a very objective look at Bradley Manning’s activities, the information that was given to WikiLeaks, the consequences.
Which means then that audiences of this film are invited to meet and understand Manning, details of childhood, photos of childhood, distant relationship with father, distant relationship with mother who then suffered a stroke and is seen talking about her child. There are sequences to explain the military background, experience of warfare, the discovery of the information about American military violence, the urgency Manning felt in downloading it and communicating it. (And there are various scenes with Julian Assange, especially after his arrest in the UK from the Ecuadorian embassy.)
Manning is frank about his/her gender journey and adjusting to being female. Manning is also frank in public speaking and interviews (although sometimes hesitant) about the career, the risks, continued campaigns about the military and violence.
Since Chelsea Manning was comparatively young when sent to prison and when released, this film would be only an initial film in her life and career.
The subsequent film by director, Tim Travers Hawkins was on Personality, the use of psychological methods to assess personality (some condemnatory, including some mixed messages on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator).
