The USA might have a new, less blood-thirsty, president in Barack Obama, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be willing to look with a critical eye at the wreckage it’s wrought in the none-too-distant past. In 2007, filmmaker Nick Broomfield released a drama about one of the most shameful episodes of the Iraqi War — the Battle for Haditha. The few Criticker users who’ve seen it have all given it high marks, earning it a spot in our list of Neglected Gems.
Months after war was waged in the western Iraqi city of Hadith, 24 Iraqis — most of them non-combatants, women and children — were killed by a small group of US soldiers. The soldiers were all eventually acquitted, but the incident was internationally condemned, and was another unneeded black eye on the reputation of the USA. The film is based on this event.
Battle for Haditha is not a documentary, but a drama staged and shot in an unconventional manner. Instead of a script, actors were given the setup and general instructions and ad-libbed all the details. Despite the love of the Criticker community and a Best Director award for Broomfield at the San Sebastien film festival, Battle for Haditha won only mixed reviews from US critics. It should come as perhaps no surprise that more conservative media outlets shared the New York Post’s opinion, that it served as an “exposé only of [Broomfield's] senseless contempt for the military.”
Movies which critique military action are too rare, especially when released while the action is still going on. But even though it’d be easiest to leave the moral stain of Haditha forgotten in our collective past, we should be brave enough to keep its memory alive.
Hey Criticker, I dare you. I have a film for your next item of ‘Neglected Gems’: the 1984 film “Xew Xew”. In criticker, ALL except one (a troll?) have given the film the PERFECT MARK of 100, –including– IMDB, who has 10 ratings, all 10/10. The catch? It’s an obscure film from the even more director… I’m not sure actually. IMDB and All Movie Guide give the same film info and yet different credits and summaries.
I don’t know, seemed like a good idea. Go figure.
^ Ooh, how enigmatic.
It took some self control not to give it a 100 score with a review like “Good God,” “Fuck me,” or, “Likens Citizen Kane to a dandelion,” etc.
Yeah, I became quite fascinated by it. All Movie Guide mistakes it for a french film from the same year, ‘Let the Joy Reign’, about the French Revolution. Both IMDB and All Movie Guide give the film the alternate french title of ‘Let the Party Begin’ which I believe belongs to the film that definitely -isn’t- ‘Xew Xew’, which means both of the best sources for these kind of stuff have mixed up information.
So far what I recollected is that it’s a experimental film from Senegal spoken in fluent Wolof, documenting a conversation between an obscure director and his favorite actor. I still haven’t asked anyone who ranked the film; although I might, given the strange fascination I have with it somehow. If anybody reads this and knows anything, please comment.
And paulofilmo, I’m counting on you as well. If anybody has a fetiche for obscure ethnic films in the Criticker community it has got to be you.
A-ha!
“The story revolves around a group of musicians and Xady, a young sociologist who belongs to the Senegalese bourgeoisie. She falls in love with one of the musicians and is consequently rejected by her family. She chooses to live with the musicians and has a child. Eventually she makes up with her parents.”
“In Senegal, Cheikh Ngaïdo Ba made his mark with Xew Xew, la fête commence, 1983, a fiction about the star-crossed relationship of a girl from a wealthy family and a poor musician who becomes famous. The story is close to the renown gained by the members of Xalam International de Dakar who participate in the film, along with Seydina Insa Wade and the voices of Youssou N’Dour and Salif Keïta.”
I have no idea what was all that stuff about the director-actor conversation between Djemba Djemba and the other guy, but this is it. Now I actually have to find the film, possibly without having to do blowjobs beneath the highway for a Karagarga account.
lol, you net detective.
I was a bit suspicious as there are nine ratings on Criticker and 11 on IMDb. Seems a surprising ratio. But it does sound like a cool story, and I like Salif Keita.
Let me know if you get hold of it and if it’s any good.
