not as good as all the hype

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is an impressive film, now, today, and in the past, but what about the future????? Here we see a master asking us to question many sides of the situation, not just one, love this. Here is a film that provokes instead of pacifying, not a film for entertainment. Watch this film on different levels, watch for Iraq specifically, but watch for how most things get represented in the media. Philip Haas has captured the complexity of life, of all news, of all visual expression, by showing a situation within a situation, by making a representation about a representation, by asking us the hardest thing of all, to think outside of what we are shown.

THE SITUATION is an eye-opener for the general public who have been kept guessing as to what is happening in the Iraqi War by the edited reporting in the media. It has all the markings and possibilities of a significant statement movie, but unfortunately the seemingly sound script (Wendell Steavenson) and the solid acting are all but lost by the engineers who allowed the dialog to be inaudible: not only is the ambient sound in a war-torn country not controlled by the Dolby process, but the insipid music score covers what free space there might have been for us to hear what the characters are saying. For lip readers the story might make sense, but for other viewers it is a tough uphill fight.Anna (Connie Nielsen) is a journalist sent to cover the war to send home to the public a realistic view of what is happening in Iraq. She is aided by friendly Iraqis such as Rafeeq (Nasser Memarzia) and informed of American crimes against Iraqis and becomes involved in a dangerous journalistic mission, one that gives many insights into all of the aspects of the Iraqi conflict. She finds love with two men, a CIA operative Dan Murphy (Damian Lewis) who represents the idealistic vision of helping supply the country with medical assistance, and an Iraqi photographer Zaid (Mido Hamada) whose gentle spirit and warm support win Anna's respect, and the love triangle comes into strident focus when the forces involved in espionage clash in a climatic conflict while Anna is held hostage.Thankfully, the Arabic conversations are accompanied by subtitles and the audience is thus more able to understand the Iraqi side of the story than the inaudible English spoken dialog apparently explaining the American aspects. The cast seems strong (especially Nielsen, Lewis and Hamada) and the supporting cast is excellent. While THE SITUATION is not meant to be the 'tell-all' of the complex Iraqi story, it at least gives credence to both sides of opinion. And that is what could have made the movie well worth seeing. Philip Haas digs in and gives us a tough dose of what the war is about - if only we could hear the dialog! Grady Harp

I saw The Situation at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago yesterday and I thought that the film was excellent; it's very tense and really keeps you on the edge of your seat. When it is all over all you can think about is "what a mess" and feel glad that you are not in Iraq and wonder what motivates someone who doesn't have to be there to go there voluntarily - like Anna the news reporter very well portrayed by Connie Nielsen.The film is critical of US government policy in Iraq but not critical of most of the Americans working there who are struggling to make sense of the confusion and craziness of the situation. In fact you feel a lot of sympathy for Dan Murphy, the CIA agent excellently played by Damian Lewis , because he is trying to do some good and gain credibility for US policies in the midst of corruption, confusion, and desperation. The film is definitely NOT critical of the soldiers who are getting shot at and who are just trying to follow orders and stay alive. As the Colonel well-played by John Slattery says "I'm a just soldier, I don't understand all this, just give me some sh*t to blow up!" It shows the situation in Iraq from lots of different human viewpoints. The former Iraqi official (Mohamed El Lozy) who hates the Kurds currently in power and who gives intelligence to the CIA in exchange for favors. All he wants to do is stay alive and get his family safely out of the country but his wife and son despise him for his weakness (and he despises himself for "selling his soul".)Zaid, the photographer (Mido Hamada) who works with Anna is an Iraqi from a Christian family and his parents were killed by Saddam. He has never been outside of Iraq and he wants to see snow and someplace with "no ruins, everything standing up!" Zaid's grandmother says that they didn't think things could get worse than they were under Saddam but they are worse now.Sometimes the Americans are shown despising the locals and we see the locals hating and denigrating the Americans – but both groups act despicable and hateful at times - and sometimes they act honorable and fair. We see the resentment of the locals because they are sitting on top of the world's largest oil deposits and yet they have no gas or electricity and little food – everything is black market and everyday there are murders and kidnappings.The Americans are trying to establish order and put Iraqi officials in power so they can leave the country, but the Iraqi police are more like a violent gang focused on greed and personal power and there is no order. The insurgents are ruthless and violent (and support Saddam's policies because they hate the other fractions) but at least they are not motivated by greed.Nothing is what it seems and "there is no truth" as Dan says. I won't spoil it but the resolution of the film's two big questions are not what you expect – was Rafeeq (Anna and Dan's friend and informant) killed because he talked to the Americans? And will the senseless (irresponsible but unintentional) death of the teen-aged boy during the bridge incident go unpunished because he is just another dead Iraqi?The film is very well made, the cast is excellent and it is great that local characters are portrayed by Arab actors. It is also great that all the members of the large ensemble cast members get a lot of on screen time. It's hard to believe that the budget for the entire film was only $1 million - it's a big movie.I highly recommend the film, it makes you think and question common beliefs. It is the kind of film that stays with you for a long time.

Great story about the chaos and constant change of events in Iraq and the damage caused from miscommunication. The movie provides a view into what happens when multiple entities are trying to work together while at the same time each is more interested in their own agenda. The multiple entities in this film included the CIA, the US Military, the Iraq police, an Iraq community leader, and an Iraq underground leader. In addition to these groups there was also a reporter and photographer smack in the middle. The movie is a fictional film, however it was written by a reporter who has been in Iraq for a long time, not embedded with the US military, but out working on her own, therefore even though the movie is a fictional film it is based on the realities of living and working in this war torn part of our world. The casting was excellent and the story unfolded perfectly. This movie required the viewer to pay attention and keep track of the players and each of their agendas. It was fast paced and kept the audience involved. It was not a "Hollywood" film full of gratuitous violence, but instead a deeper story about the people involved. I saw this movie at the Palm Springs Film Festival and also enjoyed the Q&A session which followed the movie. It is a provocative film that evokes an emotional reaction from the viewers regarding their opinions about the US being in Iraq, which was demonstrated during the Q&A session! One of the goals of the film is to provide a starting point for discussing the war and the events in Iraq. It is not a political statement, but instead a method to get people actively involved again.