Gavin Hood
UK/USA, 2019
English
112 minutes
Principal Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Ralph Fiennes
Official Secrets recalls the prosecution of real-life whistle-blower Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), a story that might otherwise be a footnote in the campaign that led to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by British and American troops. The film offers a behind-the-scenes account of events from the perspectives of Gun and the journalists and lawyers that warn of the perilous state of democracy at times of war.
Gun was a young translator at the United Kingdom’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). George W. Bush, President of the United States, and Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister, were doing everything in their power to secure a United Nations resolution to sanction war. As part of that effort, the US’s National Security Agency sent a memo to GCHQ with an order to gather information on diplomats from certain nations so they could fix the UN vote and protect themselves from being charged with any unlawful acts.
Gun is reluctant to follow the order, knowing that the case for war has yet to be proven. Weighed down by her conscience, she risks everything
and leaks the memo in the hopes of stopping the war — but no one can stand in its way. Did Katharine break the law? Did she violate the UK’s
Official Secrets Act? Is she a traitor? These are the motivating questions from here on out. Directed by Gavin Hood and stacked with a who’s
who of British acting heavyweights, Official Secrets is an examination of the meaning, value, and act of loyalty.
Official Secrets | January 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Tilley Hall, UNB
