The first thing to realise about this documentary is that it is filmed by Iraqi people, it's Iraqi's behind the camera that were most likely in front of the camera a few scenes before. It's this that strikes you afterwards as the most powerful point. It's their words.
So with this in mind it's amazing to see and hear what actual Iraqi people are saying. There's much controversy from this movie with suggestions it's one sided, yet what is less biased than hearing what the people in the country we have troops in are saying? This story is not one that should be dismissed on anyone's word. This is a movie that tells us what Iraqi people are thinking. That's it. Sure, I share a huge concern about the three hundred and ninety-eight hours that have been cut from this movie, what did they say? Anything, a different message? Perhaps, but the point is, right now this is the closest many of us are going to get to the truth without visiting Iraq and being with the people.
It's an incredibly insightful and hard hitting movie. Forgetting the argument of the whether there has been political editing, the actual editing is very good. It pulls the stories into areas of Iraq to show the travel of the cameras, it mixes scenes of utter sadness and despicable torture - little is actually shown but enough to know what happens is - with moments of complete happiness and children's joy.
Each of the key sections of the film are either defined by a move to a new location and\or a date in time to recognise an event. Usually accompanying the date is a Western newspaper headline from a prominent paper of that time, a headline which heavily contradicts the images you see before the camera. It was stunning to see a headline like "Iraqi citizens scared of local militia, streets deserted" while watching shots of extremely busy market places and the hustle and bustle of normal life. Seeing children playing and joking with the camera when an explosion happens somewhere in the not too far distance, and the kids keep playing, calming each other and telling them to carry on is a disconcerting sight.
What comes across most is human side of the stories, and the connection you can feel with the people. Two scenes stood out in this way for me, one was seeing all the students talk of and celebrate their graduation, with the other being the women who were talking about receiving their free passports. "Now we are free to travel for the first time" and one woman leaps up, her hands waving in the air, a huge smile as she runs across the room to grab the passports and show them to the camera. She's so genuinely excited and happy, and you suddenly see something extraordinary. These are people like you. Before you would see them as another religion, dressing differently, different customs and ways, but here you see things that you do, that you feel, and the empathy and understanding in that moment makes you realise that.
Then you'll see tough moments. The mother asking, confused, about why her son had to die; Listening to the Doctor talk of treating people whose tongues were cut out for speaking against the regime; Hearing of how Uday would visit the market each Saturday and choose a girl to rape. These stories hit you hard and emotionally, helped along by the continuing realisation of the connection with these people.
Former torture victims of the prison that is now famous, Abu Ghraid, speak of the torture they received under Saddam's regime. One jokes that any Iraqi would be happy to undergo the torture of being stripped and being played with by a female soldier, it was much more attractive than what they received. Comedy in the bleakest of moments.
The hardest part, and the least reported, is the devastation caused by the chemical attacks on the Kurds. We see photos taken of the first bombs being dropped, and of the people lying in the streets. To see this is to understand why something had to be done. Hearing the viewpoints of the Kurds living under the no fly zone for so long and seeing their way of life is an extremely interesting contrast to some of the others in central Iraq.
One of the most amusing moments was seeing the heavy metal band, talking in Americanised English. For a moment I thought we had stumbled on some bizarre tour, however the real truth is more amazing, and funnier. Life goes on, and again these kind of light moments seeing the actual lives of Iraqi people help to make the connection to ourselves much stronger. We aren't that different.
Two of the biggest revelations for me were the clear message of how much the Iraqi people want democracy, who's to blame for the attacks against their country and why. This is a strong and loud message that comes out of several different Iraqi's from different areas. It's something that I've never really thought about, and yet is very possible.
The realisation that the Iraqi people are like us is one thing, but something else comes across, their intelligence and desire to better themselves is immense. It's something that is so clearly lacking in many areas in the Western Countries and yet is shown throughout many of the children and adults in the documentary. Engineers, Scientists, Degrees, the desires of the children are what end the movie and started me thinking.
It is an amazingly powerful film, and something I think everyone should watch. This is a message from the Iraqi people themselves. There's no denying an amazing amount of footage is not shown, but there's nothing I've heard or seen to tell me that the cut footage contradicts the messages shown in this film. I urge you to see this movie.
So with this in mind it's amazing to see and hear what actual Iraqi people are saying. There's much controversy from this movie with suggestions it's one sided, yet what is less biased than hearing what the people in the country we have troops in are saying? This story is not one that should be dismissed on anyone's word. This is a movie that tells us what Iraqi people are thinking. That's it. Sure, I share a huge concern about the three hundred and ninety-eight hours that have been cut from this movie, what did they say? Anything, a different message? Perhaps, but the point is, right now this is the closest many of us are going to get to the truth without visiting Iraq and being with the people.
It's an incredibly insightful and hard hitting movie. Forgetting the argument of the whether there has been political editing, the actual editing is very good. It pulls the stories into areas of Iraq to show the travel of the cameras, it mixes scenes of utter sadness and despicable torture - little is actually shown but enough to know what happens is - with moments of complete happiness and children's joy.
Each of the key sections of the film are either defined by a move to a new location and\or a date in time to recognise an event. Usually accompanying the date is a Western newspaper headline from a prominent paper of that time, a headline which heavily contradicts the images you see before the camera. It was stunning to see a headline like "Iraqi citizens scared of local militia, streets deserted" while watching shots of extremely busy market places and the hustle and bustle of normal life. Seeing children playing and joking with the camera when an explosion happens somewhere in the not too far distance, and the kids keep playing, calming each other and telling them to carry on is a disconcerting sight.
What comes across most is human side of the stories, and the connection you can feel with the people. Two scenes stood out in this way for me, one was seeing all the students talk of and celebrate their graduation, with the other being the women who were talking about receiving their free passports. "Now we are free to travel for the first time" and one woman leaps up, her hands waving in the air, a huge smile as she runs across the room to grab the passports and show them to the camera. She's so genuinely excited and happy, and you suddenly see something extraordinary. These are people like you. Before you would see them as another religion, dressing differently, different customs and ways, but here you see things that you do, that you feel, and the empathy and understanding in that moment makes you realise that.
Then you'll see tough moments. The mother asking, confused, about why her son had to die; Listening to the Doctor talk of treating people whose tongues were cut out for speaking against the regime; Hearing of how Uday would visit the market each Saturday and choose a girl to rape. These stories hit you hard and emotionally, helped along by the continuing realisation of the connection with these people.
Former torture victims of the prison that is now famous, Abu Ghraid, speak of the torture they received under Saddam's regime. One jokes that any Iraqi would be happy to undergo the torture of being stripped and being played with by a female soldier, it was much more attractive than what they received. Comedy in the bleakest of moments.
The hardest part, and the least reported, is the devastation caused by the chemical attacks on the Kurds. We see photos taken of the first bombs being dropped, and of the people lying in the streets. To see this is to understand why something had to be done. Hearing the viewpoints of the Kurds living under the no fly zone for so long and seeing their way of life is an extremely interesting contrast to some of the others in central Iraq.
One of the most amusing moments was seeing the heavy metal band, talking in Americanised English. For a moment I thought we had stumbled on some bizarre tour, however the real truth is more amazing, and funnier. Life goes on, and again these kind of light moments seeing the actual lives of Iraqi people help to make the connection to ourselves much stronger. We aren't that different.
Two of the biggest revelations for me were the clear message of how much the Iraqi people want democracy, who's to blame for the attacks against their country and why. This is a strong and loud message that comes out of several different Iraqi's from different areas. It's something that I've never really thought about, and yet is very possible.
The realisation that the Iraqi people are like us is one thing, but something else comes across, their intelligence and desire to better themselves is immense. It's something that is so clearly lacking in many areas in the Western Countries and yet is shown throughout many of the children and adults in the documentary. Engineers, Scientists, Degrees, the desires of the children are what end the movie and started me thinking.
It is an amazingly powerful film, and something I think everyone should watch. This is a message from the Iraqi people themselves. There's no denying an amazing amount of footage is not shown, but there's nothing I've heard or seen to tell me that the cut footage contradicts the messages shown in this film. I urge you to see this movie.