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Son of Babylon

Original title: Syn Babilonu
  • 2009
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Son of Babylon (2009)
Drama

A willful young boy follows his just as obstinate grandmother in a journey across Iraq, determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed's father, who never returned from war.A willful young boy follows his just as obstinate grandmother in a journey across Iraq, determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed's father, who never returned from war.A willful young boy follows his just as obstinate grandmother in a journey across Iraq, determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed's father, who never returned from war.

  • Director
    • Mohamed Al Daradji
  • Writers
    • Mohamed Al Daradji
    • Mithal Ghazi
    • Jennifer Norridge
  • Stars
    • Shazada Hussein
    • Yasser Talib
    • Bashir Al Majid
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mohamed Al Daradji
    • Writers
      • Mohamed Al Daradji
      • Mithal Ghazi
      • Jennifer Norridge
    • Stars
      • Shazada Hussein
      • Yasser Talib
      • Bashir Al Majid
    • 14User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 12 wins & 4 nominations

    Photos

    Son of Babylon (2009)
    Son of Babylon (2009)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Shazada Hussein
    • Um Ibrahim
    • (as Shehzad Hussen)
    Yasser Talib
    • Ahmed
    • (as Yassir Taleeb)
    Bashir Al Majid
    • Musa
    Salih Abdul Rahman Farhad
    • Mahmood
    Kefaya Dakhee Kareem
    • Um Fatima
    Mohammed Hussen Jbara
    • Qasim
    Haythem Abass
    • Razak
    Yazy Hassin Hasoon
    • Woman Snging
    Asmaeel Al-Matri
    • Sheikh of the Mosque
    Raad Azoeer
    • Baghdad Bus Driver
    Sayyed Hassin Al-Mosawi
    • Baghdad Bus Driver Assistant
    Lateef Maouat Al-Asadi
    • Baghdad Coach Station Man #1
    Raheem Radi
    • Baghdad Coach Station Man #2
    Shwala Atia
    • Baghdad Coach Station Woman #1
    Najat Mansour
    • Baghdad Coach Station Woman #2
    Najeer Jree
    • Nasiriyah Prison Official
    Hussein Nahi
    • Nasiriyah Prison Assistant #1
    Ali Mhaoush
    • Nasiriyah Prison Assistant #2
    • Director
      • Mohamed Al Daradji
    • Writers
      • Mohamed Al Daradji
      • Mithal Ghazi
      • Jennifer Norridge
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      It is the first post-Saddam feature films coming out of Iraq.
    • Crazy credits
      The following text, in Arabic and English, appears after the film and before the credits on three separate screens.

      "Over the last 40 years, more than 1,000,000 men, women and children have gone missing in Iraq.

      By April 2009, over 300 mass graves had been discovered containing between 150,000 - 200,000 bodies.

      The majority still remain missing or unidentified."

    User reviews14

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A Nutshell Review: Son of Babylon
    When we think of Iraq, we picture a war torn country which had seen the worst of a dictatorship under Saddam Hussain, where it spent many years in conflict with Iran, before the UN moved in during Desert Storm to liberate occupied Kuwait, followed by the US led invasion in Desert Storm II. Western media continue to pepper us with news that internal strife continues to this very day with news of suicide and miscellaneous bombings, and I'm sure we're more than curious to want to know about tales from within, rather than agencies from the outside that continue to paint it like a war zone. This is as close as you can go on a road trip from Northern Iraq to Baghdad, onward to Nasiriyah then Babylon.

    Son of Babylon deals with the missing generation, and a mother/grandson's search for their son/father, who was taken by force years ago during the Gulf War, and hasn't been heard since. Set three weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussain, the film opens with the young boy Ahmed (brilliantly portrayed by a flute holding Yasser Taleeb) and his grandmother Um- Ibrahim (Shehzad Hussein) beginning their long quest for answers and closure, and it is through their eyes and witnessing their experiences, do we get a glimpse of just how emotionally daunting and physically challenging this quest is, amidst a stunning on location backdrop of an Iraq we never get to see, until now.

    Written, directed and lensed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, his story touches on the experiences of three generations of Iraqis, as Ahmed and Um-Ibrahim come into contact with Musa (Bashir al-Majid), an ex-Republican Guard about the same age as what their son/father would be if found, and how his life got filled by the war time atrocities that he had to commit under orders. The narrative puts our trio on a never-ending search as they get bounced and referred to another city where other mass graves have been found, suggesting an inexplicable nationwide genocide that had taken place which accounted for the thousands of people who have disappeared.

    The story will also open eyes to how diverse Iraq is, with language and cultural barriers from within the population as they struggle to communicate with one another (usually dismissed fairly quickly when one speaks a different language), only to share common ground in their history of grief brought about through the ravages of war. It's not all doom and gloom all the time as the film does contain some light hearted moments courtesy of Ahmed, and his significance cannot be ignored in a film that closes with a bittersweet end to suffering, and the hope placed on today's youth who have to forge their own way ahead on a long, dusty road of uncertainty. Ahmed demonstrates his street-smartness, haggling abilities and knowledge of his rights, that I think he epitomizes the spirit of the new generation who are competent in holding their own ground.

    Travelling the world's various festivals, picking up a multitude of awards and being Iraq's official entry to the Academy Awards next year, this is not an easy film to sit through as it does get a little bit exasperating with the outward show of gloom that will sap your emotional energies, but to the patient viewer it rewards with its beautiful sweeping visuals of a land that most have not had a chance to see, and a poignant story on forgiveness, reconciliation and internal healing that must begin for a nation emerging from its ruins. Recommended!
    helpful•14
    0
    • DICK STEEL
    • Oct 26, 2010

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 11, 2011 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • Iraq
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • Netherlands
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Egypt
      • Occupied Palestinian Territory
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Arabic
      • Kurdish
    • Also known as
      • Babil'in Oğlu
    • Filming locations
      • Iraq
    • Production companies
      • ART-Sunnyland Film
      • CRM-114
      • Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $150,100
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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