Powerful

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

First of all, it needs to be said that this is a half-hour short film from 5 years ago. This is not the full feature film that runs for over 90 minutes. The director here is Karzan Kader, a young filmmaker from Sweden, obviously with ethnic roots that fit the film's premise. This one is set in Iraq in the early 90s and tells us the story of 2 homeless brothers and their daily struggles. The new Superman movie is shown in their town and they are so impressed that they plan to go to the United States having no idea how far away they actually are. A complicated journey begins.This short film was turned into a full feature 2 years later with the same director and the same 2 actors playing the main characters. I watched that full feature over a year ago and it was certainly a good watch. I saw this short film today for the first time and it was equally good. The story is very similar. Basically all the scenes from the short film also appear in the long version and of course they added some more stuff, such as a girl character that the older brother falls in love with. I recommend both films. Kader did a nice job here and I hope he will make more films in the future. Thumbs up.

I saw "Bekas" on SVT (Swedish television) today when I had a meal at a pizzeria. I was so mesmerized by the visual language and the cleverness of story being told that I didn't want to leave even though I had finished of my plate. The plot, two orphans, six and nine years old, in the Kurdish parts of Iraq navigating through their daily life without any adult advisory or care. The short is told in a warm, loving and humorous manner, but lays bare the difficulties that street children experience in general, concerning poverty, trust, violence and education. The two young actors, Zamand Taha and Sarwar Fazil, put of a splendid performance. The movie reminded me in a way of City of God (Cidade de Deus). Well done Karzan Kader and Dramatiska Institutet.