‘The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo’ (2025) Netflix Review - Setting Records Straight

How do we come to know about war? Through the media mostly? Yes. But there are very few media pictures that leave a mark on people for the rest of their lives. Sometimes the mark is so deep that that very memory ends up becoming a lifelong memory associated with a war when it is so described. This documentary discusses one such picture, which is the Napalm Girl. But here the issue is different: here the issue is regarding the ownership of the photograph. In the picture, we can see a young girl, naked, running on the streets and crying after a napalm attack in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Nick Ut, who took the photograph, ended up receiving a Pulitzer Prize for the same. But in this documentary, we see a different version of him. We see a man who has his inhibitions about releasing the photo since it features child nudity. He tells us that Horst Fass made the final selection, and he struggles with the fact that he didn’t stop them from using the picture of the naked young girl who was crying and running on the streets post the attack. But this is not where the twist comes into the picture. Apparently, it wasn’t clicked by Nick Ut, but a Vietnamese Freelance photographer Nguyen Thanh Nghe, aka the “stringer”. Now we are left with a question- does that mean the world honored the wrong person? Present in the documentary, Nguyen Thanh Nghe claims it is he who clicked the picture. But again, there is no definite proof of the same. The agency, known as “Associated Press,” conducted a full investigation to claim that it was Nick Ut and not Nguyen Thanh Nghe who clicked it. And Nick Ut has been rightly honored with the prize.  So now you can very well imagine what the documentary is all about- two photographers who claim to have taken the picture.

With the help of interviews and archived footage, the makers have tried their level best to bring us the true picture. But how can you bring a true picture when nothing is settled for sure between them? Probably, the makers wished to present us with both sides of the coin. However, the documentary doesn’t really give a definite answer. Perhaps it was left to us to see and understand whose side we wish to take. We are finished watching it.

One of the issues with the documentary is that the transition between the stories is a bit hard to understand. We don’t really understand whose side is being presented to us. That creates a bit of an issue in order to understand which side is coming into the picture. Another thing is that it is slightly slow. So one can get irritated while watching it.
However, there are many pluses to the show. For example, the makers give us a brief of what the picture is about, when it was taken, etc., just so that we are familiarized with the object that is being shown to us, and it is disputed. Another thing is that we get to see both sides that claim their right to it. Not only that, but even people who are remotely related come up to tell us about the event. For example, family members, etc., hence keeping aside the minor issues, one can watch this to gain an insight into the event.

Final Score- [6/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times