Educational Media Reviews Online

Iraq in Fragments is a title with multiple meanings. One reference is to the damage wrought by warfare there. It also alludes to the problems of having a cohesive government because of the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims and the desire of the Kurdish ethnic group to break away from Iraq and form its own independent state. And it refers to the structure of this documentary. There are three segments, filmed in three areas of Iraq, each telling a separate story in the own words of Iraqis.

Part One is titled “Mohammed of Baghdad.” Mohammed is an 11-year-old boy who works in a Baghdad garage. His father was imprisoned for criticizing Saddam Hussein, and the garage owner serves as a surrogate father. Mohammed says he’d like to be a pilot and fly to “a beautiful place,” but he has failed first grade twice and is four years older than the other students in his class. When the garage owner finds out Mohammed still cannot write his father’s name, he mercilessly criticizes the boy and hits him. By the end of the segment, Mohammad is working for his uncle but not attending school. He’s optimistic about life with his relative, saying “no one beats me. No one swears at me.”

The title of Part Two, “Sadr’s South,” refers to the southern part of Iraq, a stronghold of the Shia sect of Islam, and the movement founded by Mohammed al Sadr and now lead by his son. The movement has galvanized residents of the area, who complain about the ruling council set up by the U.S. after the fall of Saddam, saying it should be an elected one. “We know what democracy is,” says one resident. The Sadr movement has also been involved in violent demonstrations against international soldiers occupying the area, and the segment shows a confrontation with Spanish soldiers. The movement wants to impose a strict view of Islam, and vows to “close every den of depravity opened by America.” They stage an attack on open-air stalls which are suspected of selling alcohol, dragging vendors from their stalls, beating them, and then detaining them blindfolded. The vendors protest their innocence and say the tyranny of Saddam has been replaced by a different tyranny from the Sadr movement.

The violent action of Part Two is replaced by a pastoral scene in Part Three, “Kurdish Spring.” This is in northern Iraq, where the Kurds live, and doesn’t have the violence of other areas of the country. The Kurds have a semi-autonomous government and generally support U.S. actions in Iraq, hoping the American government will support an independent Kurdistan. Here, the billowing smoke we see comes from brick ovens in use, not warfare. Children are able to play and even engage in a snowball fight. But a boy featured in the segment also has to make an important decision about his life: should he continue his schooling and eventually leave his village, or quit school and work with his father?

Director James Longley served as his own cameraman and sound recorder, and spent over two years gathering footage for Iraq in Fragments. The words and images he was able to capture make up a stunning tapestry of Iraq, and a testament to the relationships Longley, an American, was able to establish with Iraqi residents.

Typecast Releasing has provided a full array of extras for the DVD release. There is an audio commentary track by the director, and a second disc containing a 20 minute interview with Longley, two shorts of 14 and 21 minutes featuring footage not used in the final cut of the documentary, and an hour’s worth of short films made by students from the Independent Film and Television College in Baghdad. The commentary track is especially valuable in providing background information and context to what we see.

On the commentary track, Longley says the Bush administration has not made an effort to understand Iraq, but prefers to view it through a pre-established mindset. Documentaries such as Iraq in Fragments provide a start in that understanding. This video is highly recommended, both for educational institutions and public libraries.

Awards

• Best Documentary Director, Sundance Film Festival
• Grand Jury Prize, Full Frame Film Festival
• Best Documentary Feature nominee, Academy Awards