Nous les Irakiens (2004) User Reviews

An intimate chronicle of a country torn and troubled

[edipo · 17 November 2008]

Truly unique in its genre, this film shows the daily life in Baghdad (before and after the American invasion of 2003) as we have never seen it: through the eyes of an Iraqi ! Never indiscreet or voyeuristic, the camera of Abbas Fahdel shows the fears and hopes of ordinary Iraqis, these men and women who escaped the nightmare of a dictatorship only to be mired in chaos. Most of them express their relief at being rid of Saddam. They have finally freedom of expression and may discuss the fate of relatives missing under the former regime. That free speech is also used to criticize the Americans. "They took the place of Saddam, who acted the same way", laments the mother of a young man killed by U.S. soldiers, who have never given any explanation. An intimate chronicle of a country torn and troubled, Nous les Irakiens is interesting in that it makes us feel the suffering of those who, too often, does not have the opportunity to be heard.

A reference point in the turmoil

[ballaciner · 15 March 2013]

Born in Babylon, Irak, Abbas Fahdel became a filmmaker in France. In 2002, he returned in his native land and made the documentary « Back to Babylon ». One year later, he return again in Iraq to make « We Iraqis », a documentary in which he explore a reality that becomes alien to him. In this new film, Abbas Fahdel shows Iraqis in another light, and he is better equipped than anyone for this task, because he is both an "outsider" and a native son. An Iraqi among Iraqis, he embodies a reference point in the turmoil. His presence and commitment during the years before, his receptivity during those months when everyone was preparing for war explains why his camera is never indiscreet.