Before Jim: The James Foley Story begins a title card reads “This film shows images of war recorded by conflict journalists. It does not show the execution of Jim.”
We’ll be spared the physical horror, but not the emotional horror. And once we’ve spent two hours with the people who knew, loved, suffered with and lived alongside James Foley, we’ll see how bearing witness to the former, but not the latter, is exactly how he’d want it.
Raised in an upper middle class home in New Hampshire, Jim Foley was never destined for a day job. Unlike his more conservative siblings (and older and younger brother and one sister) he was a bit too disorganized for the world most of us inhabit, and while he had a bit of an alpha male attitude, it always manifested itself in ways that could help others. After a stint as a teacher in inner cities and prisons, he decided to “try journalism,” by working as a freelancer in dangerous places.
His first stint was in Libya in 2012. Colleagues from the period tell, via talking head interviews, how he remained cool under fire, almost giddy when shooting footage in harm’s way. As his family recalls this period, one can interpret Foley’s activity as a type of machismo. The fighters needed to be there, Foley chose to be there.
Then a colleague gets killed as he and two others are captured by Gaddafi loyalists. He’s released 44 days later, but his return to the US left him uneasy. Perhaps craving the rush, he travels to Syria a year later, witnessing and filming unspeakable atrocities. During this time, Foley recognizes the work he and his fellow freelancers from around the world were doing as some sort of higher calling. After sticking his neck out a little more (like organizing to bring an ambulance to a makeshift hospital) Foley found himself kidnapped again, this time by the far more aggressive new group calling themselves Islamic State.
The second half of Brian Oakes’ documentary switches from interspersing Foley’s news reports among the interviews to stylized recreations of the horrors of his imprisonment. He is tormented physically and mentally. His fellow captured journalists, Europeans whose governments somehow figured a way to free their citizens, recall how likable Foley was; the type of guy who would call you “bro” and somehow it wasn’t obnoxious.
While the video Foley shot in Syria is striking, and the story behind Jim is absolutely heartbreaking, I’d be lying if I called this a great documentary. A quick trip to Wikipedia leaves one thinking “hey, I don’t remember that being discussed in the movie.” But what’s unmistakable (and unavailable from any other source) is listening to the family members describe what it’s like to have a personal tragedy become an international flashpoint. Their need to keep Jim’s capture quiet, plus the perceived indifference from the FBI, is infuriating. It’s probably no surprise to inform you that there are some very, very sad moments in this movie.
The image of James Foley on his knees in an orange robe, a man in black behind him, is the symbol of Islamic State’s brutality, but it’s also the last, terrified moments of a real person’s life. While never dismissing its dangers, Jim: The James Foley Story, directed by one of Foley’s longtime friends, makes a strong case for the necessity of conflict journalism. Foley was a target because if it weren’t for people like him, violent barbarians like Islamic State would have even less difficulty terrorizing civilians. The world needs people like Foley, and this film argues that cameras are every bit as important as firearms in the current struggle. This movie, despite its somewhat simplistic form, acts as a fine tribute to the man, his work and the bravery of others who are called to his field.
