Iraq in Fragments
by James Longley
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DVD details
Director: James LongleyDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Arabic (Original Language); Kurdish (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Typecast Releasing
DVD Reviews of Iraq in Fragments
DVD Review: For a true portrait of each of the three sections of Iraq, Iraq in Fragments can't be topped
Summary: 5 Stars
Iraq in Fragments accurately describes not only the moving documentary by James Longley, but also the current political and social situation in the middle eastern country. Presented in three parts - Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish - Iraq in Fragments is a documentary set apart from the rest. Winning Best Documentary Cinematography, Best Documentary Editing, and Best Documentary Director at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Iraq in Fragments has the official Sundance sanction of being a little better made than the rest of the current documentaries about the war-torn country of Iraq.
Presenting Iraqis in a very human and unbiased way, Iraq in Fragments starts out with the intense portrait of a young Sunni boy named Mohammed who has been "adopted" by a garage owner who mistreats, verbally abuses, and mocks the poor child. His life is examined in detail as he goes from work to school and back again. Listening to the older Sunni men discuss the American occupation around the back door of the garage is akin to listening to American men discuss the war on a back porch next to a barbeque pit. Their opinions may simply be their opinions but they are given ample time to discuss them and the audience is given ample opportunity to digest them.
Part two is devoted to the examination of Shia Sadr followers in two cities as they prepare for elections. An extremely intimate portrayal of Shia "death squads", as they have been called in the American news, shows the Iraqi police as they arrest men for allegedly selling alcohol in a town market. How Longley managed to get the footage he has is anybody's guess. Risking life and limb for the proper shots, Longley is able to present an Iraq few may have ever seen, though several non-fiction books have mentioned the circumstances portrayed.
The final chapter focuses on the Kurdish farmers of Iraq, who welcome the American forces and celebrate the replacement of Saddam. The focus of this chapter is on a young Kurdish boy who dreams of being a doctor some day. This section of the film, entitled Kurdish Spring, is the most moving and ultimately upbeat portion of the film, and marks a good choice for the final piece of the fragmented Iraqi portrait.
Throughout the film, Longley opts for intimate stories of individuals rather than a broad portrayal of all of Iraq, and he succeeds on all accounts. This may leave some viewers slightly confused, however, as each section is not properly introduced as Sunni, Shia, or Kurdish. Iraq in Fragments is a film dedicated to the educated viewer, and those who have done their research on Iraq will surely appreciate the individually honest portraits that Longely has painted here. For well studied filmgoers, Iraq in Fragments offers the kind of inside view of a wartorn country that we have been waiting for. The story is not bogged down or enmeshed in a narrator's diaglogue, designed to sway the viewer's opinion in any direction; the footage is simply displayed as is. Longley spent upwards of two years in Iraq gathering this footage, and it was well worth the while. For a true portrait of each of the three sections of Iraq, Iraq in Fragments can't be topped.
Description of Iraq in Fragments
An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers a series of intimate, passionately-felt portraits: A fatherless 11-year-old is apprenticed to the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied.American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
Winner of Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival documentary competition, the film also earned the Grand Jury Prize at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar at the 2007 Academy Awards®.
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