Conflict (Documentary) available on Netflix, is the story of photojournalists who cover conflict. It tells 6 discrete stories of 6 different photographers, from different parts of the world, who document some of the worst conflicts on earth, today.

Conflict on Netflix, a documentary made in 2016 tells the stories of men and women who photography conflict zones. It is a take on how they represent their subjects, how the immersion in conflict changes them, and what is the role of the photo journalist in documenting the world.

The 37 minute watch is a kick in the guts, and a must watch for anyone who is interested in humanity, and in photography. There are 6 photographers, and there are 6 stories of conflict.

Peter Muller is the first photographer to be featured. And, the conflict that he covers that seemed to have the most impact on him, and me (the viewer), is the story of the rapes in Congo. Millions of women raped in the aftermath of conflict. I have discovered his work through this documentary. And, each of those photographs will haunt me. They seer into the core of the soul.

source : here

Rather than portray the glamorous war – the war of things that go boom – soldiers, guns, explosions – Muller looks at the humans left behind. One of the things you notice about his photographs, are the eyes of the people he shoots. It is like they have allowed him to glance beyond the barriers, into reflections of the soul. And, that is what haunts

The two stories that shook me to the core – the remaining 4 definitely did touch me, but these shook me – were Peter Muller’s story, and Donna Ferrato.

Donna Ferrato looks at the abusive home as the combat zone. And, her stories, and the photographs had me in tears. Maybe as a woman, the idea that a woman can be tortured physically, face the most awful violence at the hands of the man who has sworn to love and cherish her, rips a part of me to shreds. The helpless rage that i feel at that time is reflected in the story. As is the hope, that tomorrow will bring a better day.

her photo collection on domestic violence is a harrowing browse. The International Centre on Photography has a full exhibit up, called living with the Enemy. It is worth browsing.

These two stories impacted me the most. That is not to say, the rest did not impact me. But these two people, seem to combine that bewilderment that human beings are capable of such terrible things, along with the hope of a better tomorrow. The rest seem to have given in to the sheer weight of shooting conflict.

Although only 6 minutes long, each story is a window into the souls of those who capture conflict in it’s various facets. You can’t help but wonder about the emotional and mental cost of documenting conflict. As one of the photographer’s featured, Eros Hoagland, puts it – trying to convince himself more than the audience, as he tries to move on to start a family,

“Photo journalism is not a very important job. My pictures, and the pictures of my colleagues are really not going to change anything. So let’s not pretend like they do. You want to help people, become a doctor, and work with the poor”

It is but natural that conflict impacts their lives. And, yet they persist telling the stories. Of people. Of Violence. Of hopelessness. Of Hope. The documentary is definitely worth watching.

if you don’t have a #Netflix subscription, you can watch the series here