Jihad Jane

Review by Max Copeman

Directed by

Ciaran Cassidy

Starring

Colleen LaRose Jamie Paulin Ramirez Lars Vilks

Anticipation.

Cassidy’s debut shows he has an eye for subject matter.

Enjoyment.

Compelling stuff, if a bit by-the-book at times.

In Retrospect.

Lingers thanks to a pertinent story and well-balanced tone.

Ciarán Cassidy’s engrossing documentary examines the making of an unlikely terror cell.

The internet is good for precisely three things: buying clothes; porn; and being stealthily inducted into religious and/or political cults. Ciarán Cassidy’s feature-length debut is an engrossing documentary about the latter, the story of how a woman from Pennsylvania became a murder-plotting jihadist after spending too much time in the rabbit holes of comment sections.

The film flits between 2007 and 2011 as Cassidy profiles not only the titular Jihad Jane (real name Colleen LaRose) but also her co-conspirator Jamie Paulin Ramirez, aka Jihad Jamie. In spite of a strong vérité-like opening, the film’s stylistic mode quickly settles into conventional talking heads and archive footage. Testimony from various attorneys is punctuated by still shots of hidden alleyways, while web chat rooms on computer screens illustrate how digital extremism lurks closer to the surface than you might think.

Yet, as the investigative approach begins to wear thin, the portraits of the so-called “homegrown terrorists” take shape as the recently released subjects sit for their first ever filmed interviews. Cassidy’s patience allows them to reveal a host of contradictions and lack of remorse, particularly with LaRose, who endorses Trump and says, “It feels good to be somebody.” There is a sympathetic angle to the film’s treatment of the former al-Qaeda loyalists, delving into their tragic life stories and vulnerability behind the veils.

The scope broadens to the scandal’s tragic consequences, and focus briefly pivots to the media frenzy aimed at LaRose and Ramirez, as well as a conversation with their targeted victim, artist Lars Vilks. The Swede had caused offence with obscene drawings of Muhammad and is presented as a mere provocateur due to a frustrating hesitation to explore his artistic intentions. Regardless, in dealing with the increasingly relevant threat of radicalisation, Cassidy’s carefully humane tone allows for the film to resonate beyond its story.

Published 13 Feb 2020

Tags: Ciaran Cassidy Colleen LaRose Jihad Jane

Anticipation.

Cassidy’s debut shows he has an eye for subject matter.

Enjoyment.

Compelling stuff, if a bit by-the-book at times.

In Retrospect.

Lingers thanks to a pertinent story and well-balanced tone.

Suggested For You

Citizen K

By Ed Gibbs

Documentary maker Alex Gibney surveys post-Soviet Russia via the strange tale of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

review LWLies Recommends

The Confession: Living the War on Terror

By David Jenkins

Warzone gadfly Moazzam Begg is the subject of this interrogative documentary about his life and times.

review

A Private War

By Elena Lazic

Rosamund Pike plays the late war correspondent Marie Colvin in this standard-issue biopic.

review

Little White Lies Logo

About Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

Editorial

Design