Sadly Over-hyped

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

One of the most beautiful and moving works of art I have ever seen. The movie shows a small village in Irak where the filmmaker shows the children classic movies for children and then gives the children camera's to film their own lives and their own stories. The life of the village, its past and dreams all come out through the eyes of its children. It leaves you with the knowledge that though its horrors are very visible even in this out of the way place Iraq is beautiful, its children are wise and funny and that the visual of men gathered in a mosque can be a sight of pleasant community life, of softness and safety, and if that isn't a reversal of expectation nothing is.

This movie played at the Telluride Film festival (2010) and I was fortunate to see it there. It has haunted me since I saw it- it is beautifully done, meaningful and truly a piece of art. It is masterfully directed and narrated and provides a unique view of Iraq, artfully illustrating the humanity of a part of the world that we hear portrayed so negatively in the news media. Everyone should see this movie- literally everyone. It was a consensus among the Telluride crowd that this movie ranked in the top movies to see at the festival. I certainly ranked it as the best film I saw there, and I saw several great films. None touched me like this one.