Iraq in Fragments
Seen it?2006 | 94 min | Documentary
Saturday Specialearly ratingWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (91% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Right up the alley of anyone interested in what war does to people and the curious. It puts you in the middle of the fighting, and doesn't let you forget the cost.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves through the story clearly, at 1 hr 34 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.
An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers a series of intimate, passionately-felt portraits: A fatherless 11-year-old is apprenticed to the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the US presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 84 on Metacritic
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsSolid
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$202K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 3K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by James Longley
- Mohammed HaithemHimself
- Suleiman MahmoudHimself