Once upon a time in Iraq: a documentary that should be compulsory
I am no stranger to a documentary. I, along with the rest of the world, have seen copious Louis Theroux shows, a number of disturbing documentaries centred around serial killers. I’ve watched the atrocious manipulation and sexual assault that Jeffrey Epstein carried out for years with the help of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell through interviews with victims. I’ve seen the worst of humanity play out on screen, making me question how on earth people can do such terrible things. What I am trying to say (in a very long winded way), is that there is something fundamentally more engaging in a documentary than say, watching another old episode of Peep Show - even if that engagement is frankly hideous and scarring. Perhaps this is because these are real life stories, real atrocities that put life into a harsher perspective, but also real issues that people are facing or being confronted with on a daily basis.
When I was told by a friend that I HAD to watch the Once Upon A Time In Iraq documentary on BBC Iplayer then, I was keen to find out more. The recommendation that ‘this is the best documentary I’ve ever seen,’ also made me even more intrigued. Before I delve into the documentary further, a little context. The preface here is that this is a show created by James Bluemel and centres around the 2003 invasion of Iraq by US troops. Always having erred on the side of caution in the past when it comes to politics, believing that I wasn’t informed enough to have a legitimate opinion worth sharing, I was interested to see a different side of the story. Mainly because all I had ever been fed on the topic had previously come from the media, and I was watching it at the tender age of 10, not quite old enough to understand the political and socio-economic intricacies at the time.
Once Upon A Time In Iraq in one word, is harrowing.
Told from the point of view of Iraqi civilians, American journalist Dexter Filkins, Australian war photographer Ashley Gilbertson and a number of ex-US marines (including Sergeant Rudy Reyes who literally has to take swigs of tequila as he recounts some of his stories) and an ex-CIA member, we hear different personal accounts and experiences from that time. The documentary starts by recounting the days, weeks and months leading up to the 2003 invasion, narrated by the familiar tones of Bush and Blair from media coverage, and what is clearly a media point of view that the 'war on terror’ was over. Over a series of five episodes, Bluemel takes us on a visual, and often graphic, journey through the invasion up to the 2014 birth of ISIS as well as the ongoing civil war and conflict between Shia’s and Sunni’s happening during that period of time.
From the civilians point of view, we see the witty self-proclaimed lover of the West, Waleed Nesyif, who was part of Iraq’s first heavy metal band, frequently joking about his obsession with the western world, until we see videos of him amidst the rubble of his home caused by bombs from US forces where all of his family except for his father and brother were killed. Comedian Ahmed Al Basheer again often jokes about topics such as Saddam Hussein’s downfall with a casual yet ultimately defeated tone. Sally Mar, who was six at the time of the 2003 invasion, recalls the US troops as ‘weird’ and one particular memory when she gives one US soldier a rose. Her experiences rely on her sensory journey through this war; the stench of death, the sight of blood, all of the things that no six year old ever should see. Waleed speaks of a girl who lost her eye to a piece of shrapnel - a story that ‘fucked him up for life’. The twelve year old girl at the time, Alaa Adel, was found by Bluemel and team and when they interview her she says matter of factly that her sense of security has never come back, 17 years later. These are just a handful of the civilians and other eye witnesses that permeate this documentary. The only sure thing here, is that all of these women and men are still living with their trauma, with a need for nicotine or alcohol as a coping mechanism very much ever-present as they recount their experiences.
Having said this, there is also the presence of strength against systems of power that aimed to oppress. Whether it’s through the incredible Umm Qusay, a woman who defied law and sheltered military cadets in the wake of the Speicher Massacre. Or in the form of journalism by Omar Mohammed, the founder of Mosul Eye.
Perhaps the only downfall, is the glaring absence of blame shed on Britain as America’s partner in crime throughout the whole invasion.
The conclusion to all of this, certainly from an Iraqi civilian perspective, is that Iraq is most definitely not better off after Saddam Hussein’s removal and ultimate death. As Waleed puts, under Saddam’s reign, at least you could ‘nip out to buy cigarettes without being blown up by a car bomb.’ From my perspective, I feel that Once Upon A Time In Iraq is a documentary that whilst it may not show the full picture (as the full picture is so intricate), it certainly sheds light on a situation and war that I’d not seen or heard before, and educated me on the extent of violence and loss that Iraqi civilians have faced since 2003. And for that, we must salute those who created it.
