This paper explores the contested concepts of “truth” and “reality” in documentary media by critically examining theoretical perspectives and applying close reading analysis to a recent short documentary. Beginning with foundational definitions by John Grierson, Bill Nichols, and Patricia Aufderheide, the paper traces how notions of actuality, indexicality, and ethical representation are embedded within the genre’s form and purpose. Drawing on the scholarship of Philip Rosen, Michael Renov, and Trinh T. Minh-Ha, this study interrogates the idea that documentaries can offer unmediated access to truth or reality, and instead argues for a more nuanced, reflexive understanding of representation. As a case study, the paper analyzes Silent Suffering: Inside the Rohingya Refugee Crisis (2024), produced by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, selected through purposive sampling for its narrative clarity, and visual accessibility. Through a close reading of its imagery, structure, and portrayal of Rohingya women and children, the paper contends that the documentary, while ostensibly humanitarian, reproduces objectifying tropes that dehumanize its subjects. Ultimately, this analysis calls for ethical documentary practices that critically engage with representation, voice, and power in the depiction of displaced populations.
Maruf Rahman (2025) studied this question.