Dreams

Iraq 2005

Poster and details bangkokfilm

Seen 26 July 2007

A commendable effort from Iraq even though tighter editing might enhance the impact. The film makers were trying to depict the atrocities of the war and its consequences on ordinary citizens. The main characters are shown in a mental asylum during the bombing of Baghdad just a few days before Saddam's fall. We're then taken a few years back to see what ordinary lives they lead before their fall from grace. A man who has been sent to the frontline but condemned to a life sentence in the mental hospital on charges of deserting the army. A girl who was on the verge of marrying her childhood sweetheart but was denied that happiness when the groom was taken away by pro Saddam men on her wedding day. These two went through hell trying to maintain their sanity and had to endure further travails during the free for all days before the Americans took control of the city. It seems the filming itself met some mishaps. A woman involved in the filming was kidnapped and one of the actors passed away after the shoot. But one thing is certain, Iraq is still in the throes of mayhem and whoever is stronger wins the day.