Film: 'Heavy Metal in Baghdad'
Another from the DC International Film Festival. I also gave this one five stars.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Directors: EDDY MORETTI , SUROOSH ALVI
Canada, USA, 2007, 92 minutes, Color"This documentary about one band’s attempts to survive, much less gig, in war-torn Iraq answers the question "what's the heavy-metal music scene like in Baghdad?" Acrassicauda is a quartet named for the Latin word meaning "black scorpion." Although they managed but three shows prior to the 2003 invasion, they were smart enough to pen "The Youth of Iraq," an anthemic tribute to Saddam Hussein that kept the dictator’s pressure largely off them and their music. The band's most affable and eloquent spokesman is bassist Firas al Lateef, whose firm rejection of sectarian violence-he's a Sunni, his wife's Shiite-is as political as the film gets. Otherwise, co-director and onscreen narrator Suroosh Alvi is more interested in the band's day-to-day survival as they regroup in Damascus, Syria, to cut their first sides. "What's the vibe now?" Alvi asks at one point, suggesting that this isn't your father's wartime documentary." -Eddie Cockrell
My thoughts: This film was utterly heartbreaking. The members of the band are all young, early-twenties guys who love heavy metal, long to grow their hair long and openly wear the t-shirts of their favorite metal bands, and yet, they don't dare sport anything but neatly-trimmed close-cut hair, and they risk their lives by wearing metal t-shirts and goatees. It might be easy to think of their story as frivolous at first, but how could I - they are young men who in the U.S. or in Europe would be having the time of their lives as young guys doing their thing, playing and writing their music, and living free. Instead, they risked their lives to do everything - to hold jam sessions in a practice space that was later destroyed by a missile (so they lost not only a place that carried so much emotional resonance for them, but also all their instruments and equipment). They risked their lives just to walk down the street, just to try to work to support their families. They couldn't play their music - they had to repress this vital aspect of their personalities which kept them sane in an insane world, and as the film goes on, you can see their frustration and fear grow along with it. In fact their fear and frustration become the most vital aspects of the band's story. Watching Faisal's (singer) terror as he hears gunshots from beyond the hotel compound where he is being interviewed, listening to the bassist describe what he found in the rubble after the missile hit their practice space - these things are contrasted against the sheer talent of the guitarist who flees to Syria where he works as a dishwasher and a cleaner to support his family, and the joy of the band on the few occasions they get to play and perform. It's clear that their music provides such a huge and necessary outlet, not just for themselves, but for the few metal fans brave enough to come see them play.
In the beginning of the film, Suroosh describes the awful security situation in Baghdad - they've been lucky enough to get a huge bargain on an Iraqi security service who for $1500 per day, provides them with an bulletproof SUV, another escort vehicle, plus armed guards. They started out with four guards (2 shooters), and by the end of their stay, the security situation had gotten so bad that the frightened security service had given them 12 guards. Apparently speaking English on the streets of Baghdad is a good way to attract snipers and the bassist risked his life by being seen with the two filmmakers on the street.
While the film's focus was obviously the members of the band, its other subject was the plight of ordinary Iraqis who are struggling to survive in an untenable situation. The film also makes a point of pointing out the huge Iraqi refugee crisis: hundreds of thousands of middle and upper class Iraqis have fled, mostly to other countries in the region like Jordan and Egypt, but the country who has absorbed the bulk of Iraqi refugees is Syria, which is where most of the band members finally take refuge.
During the final moments of the film, the remaining band members ask to see the rough cut of the documentary that had been filmed by that point (2006), so we see their reactions to the downward spiral of their fortunes as captured on film over the last few years. It was just heartbreaking to watch them begin to cry as they think about everything they've lost - their loved ones left behind in Baghdad, their youths destroyed by the war, their hopes and dreams crushed, and the hopelessness is overwhelming. The film ends on a frustrated and angry note as the drummer addresses the camera and talks directly to us, the people who would see this documentary, and he reminds us that we can watch this, and we can turn it off, or change the channel, and it's over. But for them, the nightmare keeps going on.
I walked out of the theater in tears.
Even as I write this, I am still so devastated by their story - it just reminds me that we are so unbelievably lucky to have the lives we have - and to be able to walk out of a theater and go back to our lives. Sure, it's a tough film, but I'm so glad I saw it.
Oh, and their music was actually pretty good. :)
Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Directors: EDDY MORETTI , SUROOSH ALVI
Canada, USA, 2007, 92 minutes, Color"This documentary about one band’s attempts to survive, much less gig, in war-torn Iraq answers the question "what's the heavy-metal music scene like in Baghdad?" Acrassicauda is a quartet named for the Latin word meaning "black scorpion." Although they managed but three shows prior to the 2003 invasion, they were smart enough to pen "The Youth of Iraq," an anthemic tribute to Saddam Hussein that kept the dictator’s pressure largely off them and their music. The band's most affable and eloquent spokesman is bassist Firas al Lateef, whose firm rejection of sectarian violence-he's a Sunni, his wife's Shiite-is as political as the film gets. Otherwise, co-director and onscreen narrator Suroosh Alvi is more interested in the band's day-to-day survival as they regroup in Damascus, Syria, to cut their first sides. "What's the vibe now?" Alvi asks at one point, suggesting that this isn't your father's wartime documentary." -Eddie Cockrell
Click to viewMy thoughts: This film was utterly heartbreaking. The members of the band are all young, early-twenties guys who love heavy metal, long to grow their hair long and openly wear the t-shirts of their favorite metal bands, and yet, they don't dare sport anything but neatly-trimmed close-cut hair, and they risk their lives by wearing metal t-shirts and goatees. It might be easy to think of their story as frivolous at first, but how could I - they are young men who in the U.S. or in Europe would be having the time of their lives as young guys doing their thing, playing and writing their music, and living free. Instead, they risked their lives to do everything - to hold jam sessions in a practice space that was later destroyed by a missile (so they lost not only a place that carried so much emotional resonance for them, but also all their instruments and equipment). They risked their lives just to walk down the street, just to try to work to support their families. They couldn't play their music - they had to repress this vital aspect of their personalities which kept them sane in an insane world, and as the film goes on, you can see their frustration and fear grow along with it. In fact their fear and frustration become the most vital aspects of the band's story. Watching Faisal's (singer) terror as he hears gunshots from beyond the hotel compound where he is being interviewed, listening to the bassist describe what he found in the rubble after the missile hit their practice space - these things are contrasted against the sheer talent of the guitarist who flees to Syria where he works as a dishwasher and a cleaner to support his family, and the joy of the band on the few occasions they get to play and perform. It's clear that their music provides such a huge and necessary outlet, not just for themselves, but for the few metal fans brave enough to come see them play.
In the beginning of the film, Suroosh describes the awful security situation in Baghdad - they've been lucky enough to get a huge bargain on an Iraqi security service who for $1500 per day, provides them with an bulletproof SUV, another escort vehicle, plus armed guards. They started out with four guards (2 shooters), and by the end of their stay, the security situation had gotten so bad that the frightened security service had given them 12 guards. Apparently speaking English on the streets of Baghdad is a good way to attract snipers and the bassist risked his life by being seen with the two filmmakers on the street.
While the film's focus was obviously the members of the band, its other subject was the plight of ordinary Iraqis who are struggling to survive in an untenable situation. The film also makes a point of pointing out the huge Iraqi refugee crisis: hundreds of thousands of middle and upper class Iraqis have fled, mostly to other countries in the region like Jordan and Egypt, but the country who has absorbed the bulk of Iraqi refugees is Syria, which is where most of the band members finally take refuge.
During the final moments of the film, the remaining band members ask to see the rough cut of the documentary that had been filmed by that point (2006), so we see their reactions to the downward spiral of their fortunes as captured on film over the last few years. It was just heartbreaking to watch them begin to cry as they think about everything they've lost - their loved ones left behind in Baghdad, their youths destroyed by the war, their hopes and dreams crushed, and the hopelessness is overwhelming. The film ends on a frustrated and angry note as the drummer addresses the camera and talks directly to us, the people who would see this documentary, and he reminds us that we can watch this, and we can turn it off, or change the channel, and it's over. But for them, the nightmare keeps going on.
I walked out of the theater in tears.
Even as I write this, I am still so devastated by their story - it just reminds me that we are so unbelievably lucky to have the lives we have - and to be able to walk out of a theater and go back to our lives. Sure, it's a tough film, but I'm so glad I saw it.
Oh, and their music was actually pretty good. :)