Ahlaam Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
Amazingly, this film was the first film shot in Iraq following the end of the Iraq War. Even more amazingly, it does not hold back at all from showing the devastating effects of the war on Baghdad and it’s citizens. If you haven’t seen an Iraqi film before, go watch this one! But beware, it’s not something you can sit back and relax to with a big bag of popcorn.
Why Watch Ahlaam?
- To watch a film from Iraq! How many Iraqi films have you seen?
- For a chance to learn a bit about the effects of the war in Iraq
- Experience an Iraqi wedding complete with music and lots of ululations
- Witness the fall of Iraq from the eyes of regular Iraqi citizens
The Breakdown
Ahlaam starts with bombs falling on Baghdad 3 days before the fall of the city. Inside an asylum, the patients are startled and scared by the exploding bombs. It is obviously not a pleasant situation to be in.
The film follows the true story of three Iraqi people as the Iraq war starts. One is a soldier for the Iraqi army. Another is the happy fiancee of a local man. The last is a man training to be a doctor. They are all based in Baghdad and all lead happy lives in what they describe as a ‘beautiful city.’
Of course, from what we unfortunately now associate with Iraq (war), we assume their happiness is not going to last. The director, Mohamed Al-Dara, does his best to foreshadow the bleak future. Firstly, there’s the snippet of the patients in the mental asylum at the start before the film jumps back to before the start of the war. Secondly, there are just too many nice statements. When you hear someone say ‘Baghdad is beautiful,’ and another say that ‘one day military service will be but a memory’ it’s obvious that Baghdad will not be beautiful by the end of the film and the army will be ever present. It’s like Chekhov’s gun, when you introduce a gun, it will be fired.
Conclusion
By the end of the film you will see the effects of war on the regular citizen of the world. It’s well worth a watch, but probably not the best option for your first date!
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