SCREAMERS: SYSTEM OF A DOWN REVIEW
By Brian Tallerico

ugo.com, NY
Feb 10 2007

There are very few films that you can point to and say, "That might
actually have an impact on the world." As much as you love The
Hills Have Eyes, irradiated cannibal hillbillies aren’t really big
on inspiring cultural or political change. However, as lofty as it
sounds, Screamers is a rock documentary about the metal band System
of a Down that has the potential to foster change through education.

Ideally, knowledge leads to action and, just like the people who
go to see System of a Down in concert or listen closely to their
lyrics, the documentary about the band’s pursuit of answers about
the Armenian genocide has the potential to change the world or, at
the very least, make its citizens a little more informed. It’s not a
perfect documentary, but you won’t see many films with as important
a subject because Screamers isn’t just about the breast-flashing fans
of System of a Down, it’s about something far more intense.

The first scene of Carla Garapedian’s concert documentary defines the
title, and it’s not a reference to that drunk guy who kept yelling
"Free Bird" at the last rock show you went to. A "screamer" is someone
who has become so knowledgeable about genocide that all they can do
is scream. They have fully taken in and wrapped their head around the
unspeakable horror and, now, they need to be heard. As human beings,
we have a hard time comprehending genocide. When the news reports
that a family of four has died, we know exactly what that means and
can relate. When we hear that hundreds of thousands of people are
being massacred in Darfur, it’s hard to even know how to respond to
something that massive. Screamers isn’t didactic; it doesn’t tell
you how to respond. It just wants you to know and to ask questions.

The four members of System of a Down, the band behind such huge hits
as "Chop Suey!", "Toxicity", and "Aerials", are Armenian. In 1915,
the government of Turkey decided to eradicate the Armenian population
in their country, which led to the death of over a million people.

The genocide was never officially recognized by the global community,
with the Turks claiming that the deaths were simply World War I
causalities or had been over-exaggerated. This lack of responsibility
or recognition actually led Adolf Hitler to comment that no one
remembered the Armenians and so no one might remember the Jews he
was planning to kill. Screamers makes a solid case that lack of world
recognition or involvement in one genocide only gives people in power
the freedom to commit those same atrocities again, and that we can draw
a very solid line of consequences from Turkey to Germany all the way
through Iraq, Rwanda, and, now, the Sudan. In the documentary, lead
singer Serk Tankian and the rest of System use their music, concerts,
and influence to try and get the Armenian genocide recognized and,
through education, possibly change the course of future brutalities.

Screamers jumps back-and-forth frequently, splicing scenes from a
System of a Down concert with the band discussing their Armenian
histories and historical information about the genocide. The mix
doesn’t always work, and some of the technical direction in the concert
footage is sadly lacking. At one point, we actually go from System
playing a great song at one venue to a few minutes of "educational
footage" to the band playing the SAME song at another venue. That’s
just silly. And if you know you’re not into System of a Down’s music,
don’t bother with Screamers, because you’ll hear whole songs in their
entirety. But if you’re a fan or just a music appreciator with an
open mind, don’t be surprised if this documentary lets you learn
something while rocking out.