Retrograde is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Matthew Heineman that covers events that took place during the final nine months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan. It had its U.S. premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, 2022, and had its Canadian debut at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 2, 2022. It was released in select theaters in the United States starting November 11, 2022, by National Geographic Documentary Films and Picturehouse and was later made available on various streaming platforms.
The film has also faced criticism for failing to adequately protect the identities of its subjects leading to the death of a protagonist.
Synopsis
Retrograde is a 2022 American documentary film that covers events that took place during the final nine months of the United States' 20-year war in Afghanistan. The film includes actions taken by the last American Special Forces units stationed there, Sami Sadat, a young Afghan general and his troops defending their country, and a chaotic exodus of its civilians, desperate to flee a country that will once again be controlled by the Taliban.
Release
Retrograde premiered in the United States on September 3, 2022, at the Telluride Film Festival.[1] It had its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 2, 2022.[2]
The film began streaming in the US on National Geographic Channel on December 8, on Disney+ on December 9, and on Hulu on December 11.[3] It was released on Disney+ (Canada) on Friday January 13, 2023.[4]
Reception
Critical response
Retrograde was generally well received. Nicolas Rapold writes in The New York Times, "The Taliban takeover suggests a reply to the famous 1984 National Geographic cover — as if history is repeating itself with fresh suffering."[5] In posting about the Green Beret working alongside the Afghans, Sheila O'Malley publishes for the film review site RogerEbert.com, "The intimacy between the men is one of the most striking things about Retrograde."[6] In Variety, Peter Debruge declares that the film "brings back hi-def vérité footage that looks sharper and more artfully framed than most Hollywood features."[7]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10.[8]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
The film faced criticism for failing to adequately protect the identities of its subjects. The filmmakers made the decision to show close-ups of them despite warnings prior to Retrograde’s broadcast premiere. These include three active-duty U.S. military personnel and two former Green Berets who said the film will put Afghan protagonists in danger.[23]
The film has been called a "hit list" that the Taliban used to identify and punish collaborators with the United States. One of the Afghan protagonists of the film was arrested and tortured by the Taliban and later died from his injuries. The Taliban found him through the Retrograde movie.[23]
A number of its subjects are in hiding, and a minesweeper was tortured and killed in 2024. The film's creators have disputed claims that their reporting was unethical. Due to "new attention to this film", National Geographic, which produced the documentary as part of a joint agreement with Disney, announced that it had withdrawn the film, citing "an abundance of caution."[24]
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