Search - About Baghdad on DVD

A multi-hued perspective on pre and post occupied Iraq

Kyle Tolle | Phoenix, Arizona USA | 08/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sinan Antoon is an Iraqi writer and poet who was forced to flee the country in 1991. Upon his return, he was determined to explore the continuing turbulent climate of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. In July of 2003, shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, he compiled many colorful, meaningful, and fascinating interviews from citizens in all walks of life in Iraq. These are their voices yearning to be heard sending out messages that the world needs to hear.

Before any intervention by the United States, there is an overwhelming consensus here about Saddam Hussein and his Ba'th party being the major factors that left Iraq in tatters and caused endless misery to citizens everywhere. Many Iraqis describe the horrors of Abu Ghraib prison, the oppressive elements of a dictatorship government they endured, and their current thoughts of America's stance toward Iraq.

Looking at both sides of the equation, many Iraqi citizens share their mixed feelings about the occupation in Iraq and for good reasons. While a large number of the interviewees acknowledge worthwhile efforts of America in Iraq, an equal number can attest to a lackluster response from the United States in fulfilling needs and keeping promises to improve current conditions. This is a fair argument in my opinion because the state of affairs at present are far from ideal in any case no matter how you interpret the situation.

Faced with hardships such as high unemployment, lack of critical city infrastructure, and widespread criminal activity to name just a few, the overwhelming concerns of the Iraqi populace are certainly justified. Confronting an uncertain future on many levels, several citizens reveal their hopes, ideas, and desires to rebuild shattered lives and to restore Iraq to a vibrant and prosperous country once again.

`About Baghdad' is a great documentary that I found to be quite comprehensive in detail. The mixture of different but balanced opinions and viewpoints here is a refreshing break from mainstream media's common tendency to report in a non-objective fashion in many cases. All in all this is a fine program and I recommend it to everyone.
"