Salman Rushdie once said, "If you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got to find a language." Tom McPhee gives that voice to the animals, who suffered during Hurricane Katrina, in his film, "An American Opera." The film opens with an homage to "Apocalypse Now"; an aid worker looks up at a revolving fan and the camera overlooks the flooded areas of Louisiana. The next eighty-seven minutes takes you on an unforgettable journey through the salvaged areas of New Orleans and the stores of heroism and shock concerning man's best friend.<br /><br />"An American Opera" is not just a documentary; it is a juxtaposition of different documentaries blended into one. The editing of interviews between the animal rescue workers and members of the American Humane Association mirrors the split screen style used in "Woodstock" and Saul Swimmer's "Concert for Bangladesh." The unflinching eye through the halls of the abandoned St. Bernard's School, in which 33 dogs and cats were killed by the St. Bernard Sheriff's Officers, compares favorably to the shots of Abu Ghraib from Errol Morris's "Standard Operating Procedure." <br /><br />"An American Opera" is a stunning piece of citizen journalism. Tom McPhee carries on the torch once lit by John Huston during his days as a documentary filmmaker during World War II as he examines a world not so often told by today's 24-hour media circus. Get ready to be shocked and inspired by "An American Opera."