[center][left]I would get into arguments with someone I use to work with over people from the Middle East. He believed that no one from those countries were a decent human being, and that we should "bomb the whole fucking country and get it over with." I disagreed because I knew, like I hope most people with a brain,
that this particular part of the world has gone largely misunderstood through the years. Especially since it has become among the most war-torn places on Earth.Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter's documentary The Boys from Baghdad High isn't an original idea. There have been other documentaries that have given cameras to its subjects and asked them to film their daily life. But that fact in no way harms the film. What I appreciate with this way of filming is that it allows the people on camera, four teenage friends from different backgrounds, to present their personal account of life in this part of the world. And without the opinions or bleeding heart of some annoying narrator.If there is one thing that I want people to take away from this film it would be that even with all of the wars and the "terrible" things that happen in this part of the world, these people are no different than any other culture in the world. And as you watch the film, the four teens become less and less "foreign" and end up being like any teen you could think of. They face the same problems (girls, studying, family issues...), and have the same interests (music, cell phones, hanging with friends...).I have to give much respect to the four teens, Hayder Khalid, Mohammad Raed, Anmar Refat and Ali Shadman, for the risks they took to help make this picture. I've learned of the dangers that could have emerged if authorities had discovered that these four were filming this documentary. And it is amazing that they did it fearlessly and with charm that made it enjoyable time to follow them.Towards the end the film kind of fizzles out, but I think this is still an impressive piece of work and one of the best documentaries to come out featuring Iraq as its focal point. When thinking of Iraq, most Americans I'm sure would think about the men and women of our armed services over there rather than the people caught in between the conflict. That is why The Boys from Baghdad High is such a wonderful film. The war plays in the background, but never takes over the film. Instead we get to see a part of Iraq that we rarely see. And it is presented in an honest and beautiful fashion. One of the most moving pictures I've seen this year![/left][/center]
August 29, 2008
