The Blood of My Brother: A Story of Death in Iraq (2005)

Director:

Andrew Berends

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

While volunteering to guard the ancient mosque in Kadhimiya, Ra'ad, an Iraqi portrait photographer, is shot and killed by an American patrol. His brother Ibrahim dreams of revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Baghdad | Iraq | Kadhimiya | Death | Iraq War

Awards:

1 win

Also Known As:

The Blood of My Brother (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

USA:90 min (original version)

Country:

USA | Iraq

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color (HDCAM)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (RCA Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Iraq

Company:

Storyteller Productions

Movie Connections:

References "Pokémon" (1998)

A movie that probably can't ever be made again

This movie was made during a time when an American could still make a movie there. I doubt any movie like it will be made again.

I totally commend the director for taking the risk and making a movie that creates a bridge between Iraqis and we Americans.

I just saw this at our Dubai film festival and the audience had a number of Arabs, including some Iraqis. They gave the director a hard time for what they felt was a one-sided, mostly negative, portrayal of Iraqis. They also criticized him for giving a generally favorable portrayal of the American soldiers. (They did praise him for his accurate portrayal of the religious rituals which they said was rare in cinema.) He countered that he shot what he experienced and tried to remain faithful to that. By the end, the ones that hung around seemed somewhat convinced by this.

But, as an American, I appreciated that he focused on one-story rather than try to give some large-scale sweeping analysis of Iraq, even if that might have been more "balanced."

On the way out of the theater I mentioned the hard time people gave him and he said something interesting... he appreciated the passionate feedback by Arabs, even if negative, much more than the indifference he gets from Americans.

That's so sad! This is a movie that lots of Americans should see -- especially those who supported this war.

PS: I'm giving this movie six stars because, well, it's no Gone with the Wind or Citizen Cane. However, I can honestly say it is the best movie I've seen about a real family in Iraq. Of course it's the only movie I've seen about that. And, for that, this director deserves very high praise, indeed.