6.  Zero Dark Thirty and the Fantasy of Closure

Cultural notions of narrative, psychological, and historical “closure” are at stake in Zero Dark Thirty, as explored through the lens of the film’s reception as well as, and in comparison to, real-life reactions to the killing of Osama bin Laden. In the midst of controversy about its depiction of the CIA’s detainee interrogation program, Zero Dark Thirty’s ultimate evasion of any certain, unproblematic resolution occasions for viewers an opportunity to assess for themselves the ethics of action in the wake of September 11. Accordingly, rather than certifying closure, as some regarded bin Laden’s death on the evening of May 1, 2011, Zero Dark Thirty draws viewers into self-reflexive involvement in the as-yet unresolved implications of September 11 and the US responses that followed.