Marooned in Iraq

2002 [KURDISH]

Drama / War

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 93% · 27 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 82% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 1677 1.7K

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Plot summary

During the war between Iran and Iraq, a group of Iranian Kurd musicians set off on an almost impossible mission. They will try to find Hanareh, a singer with a magic voice who crossed the border and may now be in danger in the Iraqi Kurdistan. As in his previous films, this Kurdish director is again focusing on the oppression of his people.

Director

Bahman Ghobadi Photo
Bahman Ghobadi

Top cast

Hossein Rashid-Ghamat Photo
Hossein Rashid-Ghamat as The Soldier
Iran Ghobadi Photo
Iran Ghobadi as Hanareh
Shilan Rahmani Photo
Shilan Rahmani as
Saeed Mohammadi Photo
Saeed Mohammadi as The Teacher
480p.DVD
883.97 MB
706*474
Arabic 2.0
NR
Subtitles
29.97 fps
1 hr 39 min
Seeds 15

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by allstarmestd 7 / 10

Alternate View on War in the Middle East

Family, laughter, music and unlikely endings, "Marooned in Iraq" is a fill that offers a much different point of view of the Middle East than most American's are accustomed to. This story of a father and his two son's search for happiness by leaving their homes in Iran to cross the border into war torn Iraq shows a more humanistic view of the effects of war. Each man is searching for something to fulfill their lives amidst the great turmoil.The film really focused on how small people are by themselves and how they really have no control over what happens. He often showed scenes where the characters were traveling alone along broad backdrops of huge landscapes. The director really seemed to want to get the point across that these men might be together, but they were such a small part of this enormous world.It was surprising how light-hearted some of the film was. For instance, the time spent with the orphans was not a dark gloomy time, but a time of music, dancing and happiness. At the same time, the sound of actual jets brought the viewer back to the reality that all of these children had lost their families because of this brutal war.From the view of an American, this movie was extremely interesting. Sometimes I think we would like to think that war in the Middle East does not affect many, because many of us are not directly affected, but this film shows the other side. People who are interested in seeing the other side of this Middle Eastern conflict should watch this movie and witness the hardship these people must live through on a daily basis.
Reviewed by elwinter 8 / 10

Kurdish Three Stooges encounter life under Saddam

I went to see this at a festival as a good-for-you topical film - kind of like eating brussels sprouts or something (apologies to those for whom brussels sprouts are a particular favorite). The filmmaker is an Iranian Kurd, and the film involves a journey from Iranian Kurdistan into Iraq.Much to my surprise, it inspires a fair amount of laughter even in the context of extreme difficulties: a tent refugee camp for orphans in knee-deep mountain snow; voices and faces (never shown, but instead hidden in shame) disfigured by chemical weapons attacks and so on. These are present simply as part of the story's background, rather than like the shrill preachiness more typically seen on U.S. television news reports. Though I suppose one can't really fault journalists for being intensely serious when reporting on that part of the world.The story is slim: someone is looking for something. They don't find it (her actually), but find other things which turn out to be of value. The man and his two (grown) sons have a larger-than-life bluster and recurring pratfalls which are a bit reminiscent of the Three Stooges. Laughter is good medicine, and these people have certainly earned the right to a heavy dose thereof. One example of the silliness: Our three travelers have their motorbike, clothes and musical instruments stolen by highway bandits disguised as police. Later, they get a ride on a truck and encounter two guys running through the snow in pastel-colored long undies and handcuffed together. They turn up a few times, always claiming to be cops but no one believes them, and they can't get any help.Overall, an unexpected pleasure. Worth seeing.
Reviewed by GrowingMind 7 / 10

Marooned In Iraq: Nomadic Kurds Heed No Political Boundaries

Marooned in Iraq is a story about a Kurdish father named Mirza and his two sons living in Iran who embark on a quest to find Mirza's former wife who is the one marooned in Iraq. Straight from a modern soap opera, she left Mirza for hist best friend and broke up their band in the process. Something has happened and she has sent for Mirza to help her.The story occurs during Saddam Hussein's brutal attacks on the Kurds. During the three men's quest, there is the constant reminder of Saddam's hostility by the sounds of bombers flying overhead and a scene of a mass grave filled with massacred Kurdish men. The director is evidently making his commentary on the inhumanity shown by the ruthless dictator.Another political statement being made by the director is on the issue of political boundaries being placed on a historically nomadic people. The Kurds have occupied what they call Kurdistan for thousands of years in the area now politically divided between the countries of Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. During a scene late in the film, Mirza simply steps on the border between Iraq and Iran as he crosses over showing that to the nomadic Kurds, they heed no boundaries.The director does a great job of using the terrain in the backdrops of each scene making you feel like you are there. Although the film is subtitled, not every word is translated; however, you get enough to understand the conversation. The film was quite educational on the life of the Kurds and what they went through under Saddam Hussein's regime.I would recommend this film to anyone interested in the middle east, specifically the Kurds. If you don't like foreign/subtitled film, this movie is not for you. Overall, I enjoyed this film and felt it quite educational.
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