This doc speaks true about a man who was always in danger for having a voice.

Salman Rushdie is an Indian born British-American novelist, who was about to give a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York in 2022, until he was stabbed 15 times by the 24-year-old Hadi Matar. As a result he lost sight in his right eye, and suffered permeant nerve damage and internal trauma. He doesn’t know what was going in Matar’s mind when he did what he did, but all he knows is that instead of using the word “Ass,” he refers to his assassin as “The A.” And believe it or not, this was not the novelist’s first attack.

Alex Gibney’s (“Gonzo,” “Taxi to the Dark Side”) latest documentary “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie” is based on the memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” focuses on Rushdie’s recovery, as well as his past, which regards his fourth controversial book “The Satanic Versus.” He was threatened with death, because of how they viewed the book as an irreverent depiction of Muhammad. As a result, Iran issued a fatwa against him, the book was banned in 20 countries, and extremists used it as motivation for multiple killings and bombings.

Rushdie also became a symbol for the freedom to write, which is why we had a group of protestors supporting him in his tragic condition. And more importantly, his poet, photographer, and novelist wife Rachel Eliza Griffiths has always been by his side. And he does say his story is held together by the power of love. And she even films his recovery to help tell his story.

I think we can agree that “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie” is a true crime story about the freedom of speech, the power of love, and a strong survival. As his parents told him as a child: “What can’t be cured must be endured.” He does have nightmares about his torturing, he didn’t want to be labeled a terrorism victim, and he worries he may have lost his passion for writing. But he does have the optimism to keep moving forward, and speak his passion thought art and words. After all, they do say: “Time heals all wounds.”

At one point, Rushdie comments on how certain movies are scary because they’re always trying to kill the wrong people. And I’ve had that reaction multiple times. He also uses films as references for his real life, and he doesn’t make them tedious or obvious.

We do have to see attacks caught on camera, but this movie is still about less of the man’s hatred towards his assassin, but more about his courage and passion. And life is too short to harbor hatred, so this doc never indulges in the anger. We should hate this young man for what he did, but we should also root for this writer for what he has done, what he has been through, and how he intends to live his life.

“Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie” tells a tragic story that also tries to find some spirits. This man’s life has always been in danger, but he doesn’t always have to live in fear. He can also use love to overcome anything. Gibney never overexploits anything for the sake of other recent attacks, and his new doc speaks the truth.

In Select Theaters This Thursday