User Reviews

Marooned in Iraq revolves around three main characters, two sons Bahrat and Audeh and their father Mirza. They go on a journey to find their mother Hanareh who has fallen ill. During this journey they run into many set backs which include having their bike stolen by marauders, losing all their clothing, being bombed by the army and trying to find the place that Mirza is located.

This movie was both enjoyable and tedious at times. During the long parts of the movie it became very boring because of the long rolling shots of scenery. In contrast, during the interactions of the characters it was enjoyable and funny at times. Looking at this from an American point of view, this movie isn't what I would typically watch or even see in the US. Some of the parts did not work quite as well as the others, mainly because this isn't the typical movie I'd see.

That being said, the director did a very good job at what he was trying to show. Since this movie is a Kurdish movie, the whole journey and nomadic feelings were very well represented. It was true to the Kurds' nomadic culture and throughout the whole movie I got a sense of it being about nomads. The rolling shots and grand scenery made this more enjoyable than just watching a cityscape for a long time. The humor in the movie transcended cultures and was funny to me. It wasn't stifled by too many cultural references. Although this did work better for me, because I was familiar with some of the Kurdish culture, this doesn't mean it will not work for other audiences.

The biggest thing, that will be confusing in this movie, is the whole symbolism of the ending. This is very typical of movies from this region and it leaves you without a true resolution to the movie. There are a few different story lines which are left alone that you have to determine what happens for yourself. This worked for me because you don't have to see the movie as a clear cut story and that any one of these story lines could progress further. This may not work for everyone in the American audience because a lot of people would rather see how each story ends.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wishes to see a true representation of the Kurdish culture. This gives you an unbiased look into their culture in which you get a feel of what the Kurds are all about. Any American who is open to a different style of movie making will find this to be a good example of that. That being said, you need to go into this movie thinking of it differently than you would an American made movie. If you can do that then you can find enjoyment in this movie.

Others have already outlined the plot, criticized the shouted dialog, etc. All valid points. But for me the importance of the movie was that it was the very first film I'd seen written, directed and acted by Kurds, in Kurdistan. We hear a great deal about these people in the abstract. Here they are living their lives and culture. In fact, the DVD I saw included an interview with the director in which he said that he intentionally showed as many aspects of Kurdish life as possible, to spread knowledge of things Kurdish.

The culture is fascinating, old-fashioned and tribal and yet with an amazing capacity to endure and survive adversity. There are also hints that the culture may be more adaptable to change than you might think. One scene stands out --- one of the brothers is in search of yet another wife (his eighth) in order to add a son to his personal tribe of 11 daughters. A young woman he is trying to interest points out that he could adopt one or two of the orphans in her charge. He is initially nonplussed, then delighted. He gains two sons, without the need of another wife. Progress, of a sort at least! I also gained some insight into the situation of the Kurds in the border regions of four countries. At the end of the movie, the old man crosses the border from Iraq back into Iran. It consists of some well-trampled barbed wire half-buried in the snow. It means nothing to him.

See this movie, to begin to understand, a little, what it must be like to be one of these forgotten people.

Directed by Ghobadi, this film was set in Northern Iran. The film follows two major conflicts, one being Mirza's struggle to find his ex-wife Hanareh and the other is the Kurds ability to deal with attacks from Iraq while still trying to maintain a normal life. To build up to these ideas the director gives us a lot of random scenes which I feel do nothing to build on the movies plots.

First the director shows the men being robbed of everything, which seems pointless to add to the film since I feel it does nothing to enhance the plot. Next, we see that the men stop in a town to enquire about Hanareh's whereabouts and they end up playing there instruments in a wedding while a jealous man shots up the place. Events such as these coupled with how the director uses camera shot which dwarf the actors and enhance the landscape, shows a different style of directing and storyline then our Western culture is use to. Given where the director is from and his experience he does a great job filming and adding political symbolism into the film. His symbolism displays to the viewers that the Kurds will not allow themselves to be effected by Iraqi attacks. This scene is displayed when Mirza while carrying a toddler on his back steps over the barbed wire boarder between Iraq and Iran with no problem at all. These aspects of the film make it an interesting film to watch since it gives the viewer a good feel for Kurdish life and landscape, but the film I feel lacks and overall message.

In the film, "Marooned in Iraq" the audience is taken on a journey through the mountain ranges of Iraq, from decrepit town to decrepit town, with three family musicians. A short synopsis of the film is as follows; the three men, father and sons set out to find the father's "wife." I stress "wife" because throughout the film the audience is unsure whether or not she is still married to him. Along the way they run into a number of characters which help to carry the plot along. Aside from the movie taking entirely too long to develop and entirely too hard to pay attention, I found some good aspects that should be addressed not only for westerners but also for middle easterners as well.

One thing that I noticed that benefits the film is that the theme of women's' role in the Iraqi society is so detrimental for the future of Iraqi women. It is obvious that the entire film follows a narrow road in which only misfortune is evident. Women are not allowed to sing in this community and this is why the father's wife ran away, because she wanted to sing. Even though the father journeyed to look for her and eventually finds her without knowing says something about the director's commentary on the role of women and their rights. But, even though he does not get his wife he gets her daughter which also states an interesting notion and raises some suspicion among audience members. Although the film shows the trouble in the society I think that with the ending that the director has provided us with says that he believes that the future holds triumph in regards of women in Iraq.

Marooned in Iraq is surprisingly funny, in my opinion. I knew that it dealt with serious issues, such as the gassing of Kurds, but it had breaks of humor among these more serious matters that made for an enjoyable as well as informational experience. The film follows the same kind of editing, framing, and pace as other films from the Middle East that I have viewed such as Children of Heaven. That is, the shots in such films as these are held longer in scenes with more dialogue between actors as opposed to the Western styles of cinema, which tend to focus more on action and rapid intermissions between scenes that keep the visual stimulation moving along with the pace of such movies that American audiences are more accustomed to. The sets and actors have a much more realistic feel to them; made up of real Kurdish roads and villages without the set design of more blockbuster motion pictures that come out of Hollywood each year.

The plot and character development surround a story of two sons who accompany their father, Mizera, in search of his past wife, Hanareh, who sent word of her need for Mizera in a matter that remains a mystery up until the conclusion of the film. It is a charming story full of various types of trials and deceptions that keeps the viewer guessing as to the true purpose for the journey that this family band sets out for. The conflict in the story is complicated by these various deceptions conveyed by Mizera and the struggles that each son, Barat and Audeh, has to endure to assist their father in his quest, a quest that neither son particularly desires to take part in. The struggles center on a social commentary about the plight of the Kurdish people during the Iran Iraq War while sometimes poking fun at such characters and situations determined by this cultural conflict that keeps the Kurdish people in a state of inconclusive definition.

With more and more exposure to this type of Middle Eastern cinema, I find myself enjoying it with an equal but different enthusiasm as I find in American motion pictures; I suppose that is due in part to my professor's guidance through such films. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this film to those who seek to know more about Middle Eastern cultures and differing types of cinematic interpretations of what makes up a good film. It always serves one well to step outside their shell of familiarity in order to experience such pleasures in life that only come with exposure to such films as Marooned in Iraq.

Watching this film is like taking a journey through the land of the Kurds, at the border of Iran and Iraq. It is also like visiting another world. I found it stunning, wild. The unusual characters who scream at each other instead of talking, the music, the crazy situations, the weather-beaten faces and soulful eyes, and that scenery of rugged mountains and vast terrain covered in icy snow. It's tragic because of their lives -- the harsh weather conditions, deprivation, and the nomadic lives they are forced to lead as Saddam Hussein unleashes bombs and chemical weapons upon them. Yet, it's comic -- and yes, the comedy is intentional. I'm specifying that because of viewers here who have written the strangest reviews about this film.

Mostly American viewers, they admit that it is difficult for Americans -- those Americans who don't watch foreign films or even atypical slow-moving American films -- to appreciate this film, and demonstrate that by calling it boring, or unintentionally funny, or pointless. Most of those viewers end their reviews by commenting that only those interested in the Middle East would enjoy this film. But I think anyone who is capable of empathy with people from a different culture and a far away land whose lives are filled with hardship and pain would find this film valuable. Or anyone who is able to let go of all the ideas about how films "should" be made and western notions about the way plots and subjects should be treated.

It's a learning experience, but it's enjoyable to watch. I loved the characters. I loved the scenes in which the women were working or burying their dead -- it showed their tremendous strength. I loved the scenery and the children.

If you see this film, make sure to watch the director interview in the special features -- he explains a lot about why he filmed in the snow and how humour and music are so important to the Kurds. The director knew what he was doing. I think he did it quite well. It was a film that made me laugh and cry and helped me to understand more of what Kurdish life is like. I'd watch it again, and I hope to see more films of this type.

This Iranian-Kurdish film is a touching story that is not only emotionally sad at times, but it also includes some comedic views as well. This film might be one of the few movies I have seen that I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. In experiencing two Middle Eastern films now, I have learned just how interesting Muslim cultures are. This movie shows the events that happen in Iran and Iraq that Americans do not see in daily life.

Marooned in Iraq tells of a famous family of musicians who set out to find the father Mirza's ex wife because of news that she is in trouble. On their journey, each one encounters an unexpected event. The director suggests the Will of God as the reasoning behind these events. The ending is left for the audience's imagination. The director gives us hints, but it's up to us to decide what happens to the family.

The Director I believe wanted to show outsiders of the Middle East that Iran and Iraq are not exactly as one may see. The director chose to show a lot of scenery by using camera angles that made the characters look tiny compared to their surroundings. I never realized how beautiful of a place Iran is, minus the destruction. I also think the director chose to film during winter to symbolize the hard journey that the family has ahead of them. If he chose to film in the summer or spring, the scenery would be too pretty to show the actual mood the director was looking for.

I truly enjoyed this movie because it gave me a different perspective on Middle Eastern culture that I was unaware of before. I also really enjoyed the fact that I felt a sense of sadness and at the same time laughter from the beginning of the movie until the very end. I believe audiences who think they know everything that's going on in the Middle East should view this film so they can get a better understanding of what's really going on in Iran and Iraq. Since watching this film my thoughts have changed dramatically about the culture and the people of the Middle East. I would say for sure this film is worth viewing and I would recommend it to audiences who are willing to look beyond news and television broadcasts.

Mizra asks his sons, Barat and Audeh, to go on a journey to find his ex-wife, Hanareh, and help her. His sons think they are still married and she ran away. The father won't tell them the real truth because he knows they won't help him if they're not still married. He has been told she is in trouble, but he doesn't know how.

Mizra went on the journey to find Hanareh, Barat just went along for the ride, and Audeh went to find himself a wife that could produce him a son. I thought this movie was interesting because it kept you wanting to know what happened next. On their journey they had many stops to try and find out exactly where Hanareh was. At each of the stops it was as though something else aside from finding her was going on with one of the brothers.

Since the movie was in Kurdish, Persian, and Arabic reading the subtitles made it harder to pay attention to every detail that was going on in the movie, but didn't keep me from understanding what was going on. The subtitles were hard to read at some points because they were yellow and it seemed to blend in at times. This was when my attention was taken away from the actual picture part of the movie to try and understand what they were saying. It was easy though to get back into the movie after I understood what they were saying.

Since this is a more romantic movie with them being in the search for love I think women would enjoy this movie more than men. The long journey the family takes all in the search for love ends up being broken up. In the end not everyone finds what they were looking for… or did they?

The one thing the director did a good job at was displaying the enormousness of the area they had to cover. The many shots from the bottom of the mountains looking up display how minute they really are. However, the only thing that kept me awake during the movie was its bits of comedy. The bluntness of the father was funny, as well as the brother, who appeared to be a Middle-Eastern Napoleon Dynamite. It was also amusing how even if you're starving, you get the hookah passed to you, although I'm sure that is a cultural thing that is more serious than Americans tend to view it.

Although the comedy was the only thing that kept me awake when watching the movie, I found it to be a little offensive. Sadaam Hussein made Iraq a Hell, and the director, who obviously doesn't like Sadaam either, unintentionally makes the severity of the whole situation less serious. What was occurring during that time shouldn't be taken lightly, and it wasn't good for the overall view of Sadaam in Iraq to have people joking as much as he had them doing. You wouldn't want to see a movie about the Holocaust that had jokes in it if you want to experience the true seriousness of the entire event, so why the director didn't display the full gravity of the situation is what I don't understand.

So the reason I say the only thing that saved the movie was its bits of comedy was because the pathetic attempt to show the true seriousness of the movie failed. The director doesn't show Hanareh's face after they gassed her. The American wants to see her face, but for good reason. Everyone else sees her face, and they realize how serious it is, but we don't experience that seriousness first hand, which is hard for an American who expects to feel and see the seriousness in something like that, rather than seeing it. The only reason the director would choose not to show her face is because ex-husband didn't know, but we did, so I feel it should have been shown, because although it was probably disturbing, it was a real situation, and you can't take away what's disturbing in real life.

I wouldn't recommend this film for anyone who is an American. I think as an American you'll be disappointed with its lack of ability to connect to the viewer the way you are used to. The only people who might be able to watch it are the people who already understand what it was like to go through something like the people in the movie went through, because you won't have to be shown or told the seriousness, you'll already know.