IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS PART 2 OF 5
Iraq in Fragments is not a documentary of the war, or even an indictment of the United States involvement in that country, in spite of Longley's own political views, which he mostly keeps to himself. Longley deliberately took a step back from the politics to record history in the making through the portraits of three distinct segments of Iraqi society. The cinematography throughout the film is simply stunning.
I saw Iraq in Fragments at the Cinerama, which boasts Seattle's biggest movie screen, and I would highly recommend catching it at a theater rather than waiting for the DVD release. Longley's filmmaking style transports you to the streets of Baghdad, the heart of Sadr political rallies, and the quiet of the Kurdish countryside, as he paints a portrait of a fractured country and its people far more powerful than a mere war documentary.
This is a window into the lives of a people, not so different from you and me, living through a poltical upheaval that could well be a stone that casts waves far beyond Iraq's borders in the future. Longley captures their struggle -- Sunni, Shia and Kurd -- to determine their country's path.
Time will tell how the pieces of Iraq will fit together in the long run, but in the meantime, Iraq in Fragments gives us a peek into a country long torn by conflict, and the people struggling to survive there.
Kim Voynar, Cinematical.com
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