Redemption,Restoration,Reclamation BENJAMIN GILMOUR ON JIRGA

In Jirga (Benjamin Gilmour, 2018), an Australian undertakes a perilous journey to return to the site of an Afghan firefight from three years earlier. Mike (Sam Smith) makes the difficult trip not out of professional duty, however, but out of personal need. Haunted by his past deeds – specifically, the accidental killing of an unarmed civilian during an evening raid of a village – the ex-soldier is driven to atone for his actions. When he presents himself before the court of tribal elders that gives the feature its name, he risks his life, should the jirga deem an-eye-for-an-eye retribution the appropriate course of action.

In charting Mike’s trek through often difficult, sometimes surprisingly beautiful Afghan terrain – from Kabul to Kandahar and beyond – as well as the emotional journey that he takes as he puts his fate at the mercy of others, the film also recounts his quest for redemption and restoration. But, more than that, the sensitive feature explores the idea of reclamation: of a man owning, rather than running from, his role in a horrific act, steadfastly facing the consequences and allowing everyone affected to move on.

Jirga marks the third feature effort in ten years by Gilmour, a paramedic-turned-filmmaker and an experienced world traveller. He has crafted a cinematic work that is the antithesis of stereotypical Hollywood war movies, depicting the