Danger Zone

It’s not a new phenomenon. There have always been people who get an adrenaline rush out of danger. Mercenaries for one. Most are lured by the money, others also have an addiction to peril, possibly even a death wish. But would they pay for their ghoulish thrills?

Possibly not but some clearly do and what’s presented in Vita Maria Drygas’s impressive and disturbing documentary are people paying to go into extremely dangerous areas for a holiday.

Opening with Rick in Armenia he organises these trips and there’s a particular client, who is taking up his time.

Next up is Eleonora who lives in Las Vegas though now tired of the vacuity of it, is seeking something more fulfilling. She hits upon pre-Taliban takeover Afghanistan. The idea of being one of the last people to go there an added attraction.

However much of the film is about Andrew, a UK citizen who, despite having wife and children, is prepared to go into some of the most dangerous places in the world. This time he’s returning to Mogadishu with AJ from the US. AJ’s background is Mormon who forewent the usual route of church and missionary work to strike out on his own. He’s successful though clearly, it’s not enough so hooks up with Andrew.

The film flits between Eleonora, Andrew and AJ as they reach their destinations. It’s here that some of the most contentious elements of these trips come to the fore.

With already stretched resources the Somalis and Afghans have to divert resources to protect these people. In Eleonora’s case she trains with the army, learning how to use a weapon. However a trip is cancelled as the Afghan army are called on to do their job elsewhere.

In Somalia, Andrew, and AJ travel to an Al-Shabaab controlled area with Andrew revelling in the danger, seemingly with barely a thought for anyone else around him. AJ is more circumspect; visibly shaken then relived when they leave, as the militants having been alerted.

Back to Rick all his preparations are for Andrew to visit a front-line warzone in Syria and a refugee camp. This distressing sequence has Andrew posing for photographs in an abandoned Isis death chamber and later raising the expectations of children in a refugee camp with toys only to run out leaving many empty handed.

The viewer is pretty much left to decide about the ethics of these people and the nature of these holidays. Drygas holds back taking a sparce directorial approach, combining hers and their footage. This provides the viewer with mixture of sources from which to form an opinion.

Having said that the editing is excellent, drawing out some tension in the stickier moments as in the Al-Shabaab sequence, or with Elenora having to don a Burka to pass through Taliban checkpoints.

Danger Zone will be presented on 14 March at the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival 2024 which takes place in venues across London 6 - 28 March

For further information and tickets: https://kinoteka.org.uk/