Parents' Guide to The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo

This is solid investigative journalism straightforwardly packaged in a documentary. Thankfully, the documentary is structured and paced pleasantly. While other investigative journalists will have to delve into, corroborate, refute, or build from these claims, the claims themselves are quite convincing. First, why would Carl Robinson lie? He stands to gain nothing but shame and the potential ruination of his own career and legacy as a journalist. Also, Nghe, the man who likely actually took the photo, has never tried to shake the powers that be, sadly presuming that no one would care, and no one did, for 50 years. Meanwhile, Nghe lived his life (well, he suffered, too, marriage suffered, children knew how it affected him), never once wanting money or fame for this truth.

There are many subjects of this documentary, and it's naturally compelling because the case brings up questions of authorship, ethics, accidental heroship (Nick Ut became a celebrity and especially big in Vietnam), and the many broader and institutionalized ways "the West" has throughout history taken advantage of "the East." This film only hints at this, but the filmmakers at least allow this specter of U.S. imperialism and historical mistreatment of Eastern nations to hover over each reveal of information in this story. Presented as participating observers, the filmmakers/investigative journalists discover in real-time new events to the story, as we do, like when they find Nghe or when Index (a not-for-profit company) goes over their findings. By the end, it's hard not to think about Occam's razor (simplest explanation with fewest assumptions is most likely the truth) and how many other similar instances have occurred throughout history and across all artforms, not just photography.