Recent history plays out on-screen in Zero Dark Thirty following the September 11th attacks as the United States goes on one of the biggest manhunts in history to find Osama bin Laden.

As she did in The Hurt Locker, Academy Award Winner Kathryn Bigelow continues her usage of an obsessed fictional character to recount historical events in the post 9/11 landscape with Zero Dark Thirty. Here we have Maya (Jessica Chastain), a CIA operative who becomes an integral part in the hunt for Al Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden. Aside from the eventual death of bin Laden by the Navy SEAL Team Six, the film focuses on the questionable interrogation practices of prisoners and detainees through Maya’s own reluctance but ultimate belief that these tactics are beneficial. With emotions raw from a nation still dealing with the ramifications of the “War on Terror,” Zero Dark Thirty is guaranteed to hit the hearts of many.