Movie Lesson: Zero Dark Thirty Reference: Bigelow, K. & Boal, M. (Producers). (2012). Zero dark thirty. (film). Los Angeles, CA: Columbia Pictures. [157 minutes]. Maya is a CIA operative whose first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. on the 11th September 2001. She is a reluctant participant in extreme duress applied to the detainees, but believes that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics. For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the whereabouts of Al Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden. Finally, in 2011, it appears that her work will pay off, and a U.S. Navy SEAL team is sent to kill or capture Bin Laden. But only Maya is confident Bin Laden is where she says he is.

Objectives: 1. Describe the significance of 911 with respect to American history and modern society. 2. Describe the depiction of terrorism in the movie compared to the real historical events. 3. Examine the character of Maya. What are her strengths and weaknesses? What motivated her to take this course of action? 4. Describe the relationship between Maya and her superiors in the CIA. How did it change during the course of the story? 5. Evaluate this movie. What were your favorite scenes and why? What did you learn about the war on terror through this movie? Key People: Osama bin Laden Dan Joseph Bradley

Maya Jessica Admiral McCraven

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NSA CIA ISI SEALs Station Chief

enhanced interrogation black site waterboarding tradecraft Al Qaeda