.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Marooned in Iraq Essay
Marooned in Iraq is a film by Bahman Ghobadi set on the border of Iran and Iraq. Wherein people who lives in Kurdistan experiences a precarious life. The Kurds experiences how it feels to live in a cold, sleazy camp for refugees near Iran’s border. The cruelty of Saddam Hussein was greatly felt by the loved ones who remained alive. They were the ones who are left facing the daily deluge brought about by Iraq’s bomber jets that are streaking across the sky. However this film is made more meaningful by Ghobadi by having a mixture of laughter and tears. This made the film more appealing to the viewers and more enjoyable to watch.            The movie revolves on the life of a Kurdish family who are musically inclined. It is lead by the elder Kurdish whose name is Mirza who is in quest for the woman who was gone them two decades before. He was left by his wife and goes with another man to another place. Mirza then decided to take courage and travel beyond the borders of Iran together with his two sons Barat and Audeh. They experienced great squabbling among themselves but their interaction is really humorous. The humor added to lessen the tension of the scenes makes up a light and enjoyed viewers. Some example of this is when they are caught in a troubled situation like when their motorcycles are stolen by some bandits.            There are metaphorical and symbolisms used by Ghobadi on the film Marooned in Iraq. He carefully unveils the situation of the Kurdish people under the regime of Saddam Hussein. The film was set during 189 and 1991 where Kurdish are in great depression under Hussein. Many lives were killed and families whoa re left behind greatly suffered. The Iranian revolution is the time when Barat was left by his wife. In the film there is no clear image given about the Kurdish wife. This implies how women during that revolution have been robbed of their humanity. Women singers like Hannareh (Mirza’s wife) are silenced and are not capable of speaking of themselves. The title itself of thefilm symbolizes how the Kurdish people were isolated during that time. Chaotic, traumatic and harsh experienced under the claws of Hussein. On the other hand, there are some exemptions on being Marooned in Iraq this is because some of the characters in the film do find their ways. A ray of hope is still visible in the film which gives the Kurdish people a situation where they can think and do ways to reach lberty.            As the pursuit of Mirza and his two sons Barat and Audeh continues for Hannareh, they came to learn and understand more the life of being a Kurdish. Through this characters Ghobadi tries to expose the situation during that time. The three lead characters witnessed the frightful devastation received by Iraq from both U.S bombs and Saddam Hussein’s bloody troops. To lighten up the situation Ghobadi uses an approach of adding up humor and beauty along the journey of the three characters. This made the viewers understand more about Kurdish identities. How strength and determination allows the characters to stand amidst the adversities in their way.            Ghobadi made the film to make a distinction about the Kurdish people. The diversity of the characters in dealing with the situation and how the essence of family floats amidst conflicts and depression. Mirza portaryed his father image by commanding his two sons to go with him for his search of his wife. Barat shows willingness to cooperate with his father but but Audeh made some complaints because of leaving behind his 7 wives and 11 daughters. This shows the lifestyle of some Kurdish male who settles for many families. But sooner in the film Audeh decided to go withhis father and brother because it is an opportunity for him to find another wife who will bear him a son. This depicts the fact how Kurdish values having a male born offspring in their families. The director used the idea of making the characters in the film portray being musicians to lighten the atmosphere in exposing the situation of the country in that time. While the three are set to travel and does performances along the way, they came across victims of chemical warfare. They also experienced being abducted by thieves who buried them alive upto their necks as their motorcycle and warm clothes are stolen. Some practices were also exposed by the director in the film like the scene when the lead characters came to attend an Iranian wedding. Later on the two sons finds their solace when Barat met a woman he constantly sees in the film but this grieving woman is always being stopped by the police and forced to do some military services. Audeh on the other hand no longer finds his supposedly 8th wife but he was able to find some orphans who will make nice sons. Mirza was also able to find his own surprise and his two sons made their happy return to their home.   The film is set in a rhythmic and dramatic mode that made it more interesting. This is a story of reality with some moments of humor to break the harsh reality being experienced that time. Although villages have been scourged by Saddam Hussein during his reign of terror, the people are resilient enough to find their ways of surviving.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment