The Search for the Afghan Girl as Response to 9/11: Critical Analysis of Implicit Content in Documentary Production

An examination of what is included and excluded in a documentary invites readings of the producer‟s ideology and what values comprise their intended audience. What if a production company in Germany produced a documentary in Poland in the late 1930‟s and made no mention of the German invasion? What if an American company made a documentary in Vietnam in the 1960‟s and made no mention of American involvement? These examples would be indicative of questionable content since many people know of the socio-historical context. The sociohistorical context frames the relevancy of the story for an audience through a common denominator or shared experience. Establishing sociohistorical context provides a framework for discourses to flow. One of the means to examine the sociohistorical context of a film is to analyze its implicit content.