During the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound — which ended in his death — U.S. troops obtained troves of private documents detailing the terrorists’ years after 9/11 activities in . Osama bin Laden: Close Encounters examines the contents of the files and glimpses his twisted psyche and bloodthirsty determination.
Bin Laden lived in relative undisturbed isolation in Pakistan, never deviating from his primary focus of protecting and growing his monstrous legacy of terror. He keeps tabs on the world media and instructs his deputies on how to feed and manipulate the news machine. He wrote lengthy memorandums to members of his regime, delivered in absolute secrecy by carefully selected couriers. His family accompanied him on the tin field, including children and grandchildren who were homeschooled and closely guarded as they ventured outdoors.
The film summarizes the childhood influences that most profoundly shaped his worldview, but most of the narrative is about his state of mind during the last five years of his life while hiding out in Abbottabad. We learn about his reading habits, his mobility issues, his relatively myopic understanding of America, his reactions when family members were killed in combat, his struggle to create a self-sustaining bond that limited his exposure to the world outside America and his unfortunate plan to escape exile before he is assassinated.
According to security insiders and ISIS experts interviewed in the film, bin Laden was well aware that the United States was on the prowl. He heard U.S. military planes fly overhead and knew the area was under more frequent drone surveillance. In addition to providing a personal portrait of bin Laden’s final days, the film also traces the US government’s plan to end his reign of terror. The two tracks collided during the raid on his home in May 2011.
In the years following 9/11, bin Laden became the world’s most elusive and enigmatic monster. Now, years after his death, Osama Bin Laden: Up Close and Personal unveils a sobering portrait.
Directed by: Alexander Berkel
