When you see THE LIONS BY THE RIVER TIGRIS be patient and stay to the end. I am saying this up front because this is slowly building film that creeps up on you and hits you from behind. It's not that there is any sudden revelation, rather it's the act of spending time with the people on the screen makes them more than just figures on the screen and instead become people you want to spend time with.
The film is the portraitr of three men and the people around them. Bashar, Fakfri, and Fadel are all residents of the Iraqi city of Mosul which for under the control of Islamic State. The city was pretty much destroyed in the fighting to drive out the Islamic State and retake the city. With the destruction came the loss of culture. Or rather the near loss of culture for the three men are fighting to bring culture back to the city, and prevent looting of homes as well as artifacts, even if it means working miracles in the ruins.
From the opening sequence where a violin is played among the rubble and a discussion of acoustics occurs I was hooked. There was something so real about a music lover trying to figure out the best way to play his instument in an unexpected place. I bonded with the guys and I wanted to hear their stories.
What makes the work is that in looking at the effort to bring back Mosul and culture we clearly see that no matter how bad things are people don't lose their humanity. People will always look toward something outside of themselves in order to bring hope. Sometimes its sports, or comics, or art or music, but always its something is there to make us want to go on.
I was moved.
See this film and be moved.
No comments:
Post a Comment