Synopsis
With unique personal archive from civilians and soldiers from both sides of the conflict, this series takes viewers closer to the realities of war and life under Isis than they have ever been before.
Once Upon a Time in Iraq
2020 Directed by James Bluemel
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Alternative Titles
Es war einmal im Irak, Válka v Iráku, Ιράκ: Πόλεμος Χωρίς Τέλος, La guerra de Irak, Il était une fois en Irak, Az iraki háború
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It’s telling that the BBC would choose to skip over the lead up to war, given their complicity in manufacturing consent for the invasion of Iraq. Lucky for the BBC, History today is all about "subjective truths" and "modes of experience". Consequently, the politics of this documentary see-saw between ever-so-subtly downplaying the total destruction of a nation and the legitimisation of its invasion on humanitarian grounds.
The documentary centres around the individual toll of war. Some stories of Iraqis are incredibly moving. But sadly, most civilian tragedies feel like a carefully crafted exercise in PR management. By the end of the documentary, more tears are shed over occupation under ISIS than the unspeakable barbarism of the west. The impression of Iraq is nothing more than an untameable Wild West, a place of ungrateful disobedience and mystical fanaticism.
For a more intimate and powerful account of the Iraq War, I recommend instead to watch Homeland: Iraq Year Zero or listen to Blowback podcast.
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This is such and I cannot stress this enough such an educational and non biased insight into the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the events that followed. I really recommend watching this to have a proper understanding of the events told by the people there whose lives were completely turned upside down.
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this might be the best documentary of the year for me. BBC's Once upon a time in Iraq, a five 5 part docu-series tells the tale of the Iraqi people and all the atrocities they had to face from Saddam Hussein to ISIS. we get the prespective of almost everyone involved in the war, from Iraqi civilians to the veterans, from journalists to CIA analysts and even a ex isis member.
the filmmaking involved here is just top notch. Andy Serkis's narration is chef's kiss. even with such dark subject matter, I was able to sit through the whole thing because of top class editing in every episode. highly recommended. -
Away from Adam Curtis, Louis Theroux, and the odd Storyville release, I should watch more stuff on BBC iPlayer; there are some great documentaries - one of which is a miniseries by James Bluemel. Once Upon a Time in Iraq is what you think it is - a 5-part documentary on Iraq's history post-early millennium. Expect it to have bleak, hellish stories from ISIS survivors, Saddam Hussein supporters, the U.S. military and the innocents caught in the crossfire. The one group Bluemel gives an unsympathetic voice to is (surprise, surprise) the politicians who started the war. Part 5, Legacy, culminates in two separate speeches by George W. Bush and Tony Blair telling how "peace" has come to Iraq and the…
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would have been 5/5 if it wasn’t for the fact that they didn't mention the uk and tony Blairs involvement which is pretty scummy since it was made by bbc
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Not sure if this is the same one I watched but here’s the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9qfratsEO_k
War journalism is wild and seeing it work with, interact, and coexist with war is so fascinating. This is such a mature and reverent documentary that was largely documented by the blank stares of its witnesses reminiscing. There were several parts where as they began setting the scene for a story that unfolded, you could visibly see their heart rate and adrenaline kick in even decades after it went down.
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Without a doubt the best documentary series I’ve ever seen. Every minute is totally captivating - it genuinely blew my mind. Incredibly shot, incredibly produced, incredibly edited. Some of the interviews are just insane. 5 stars all round.
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i’m literally in tears this was such a hard watch (esp episode 3).....it is so fucked up that so many ppl r misinformed n don’t acc know what went down w my country (or just simply dgaf) n this is y this series is a must watch!!
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By far the best and most important documentary I’ve ever watched. If you have 300 mins to spare, use them to watch this masterpiece.
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Frontline with another homerun. It was great to see the perspective from the average Iraqi that so many other documentaries on this topic miss.
Just fantastic, unique, powerful and heartbreaking.
Frontrunner for documentary of the year for me.