Fiction

75 minutes
English / Arabe
2003

Amer Alwan

Zarafa Films , Arte France , Guilgamesh Films , Ishtar Productions

FEATURE FILM: THE EVERYDAY LIFE IN IRAQ JUST BEFORE THE US INVASION

Zaman and his wife have lived in this region of swamps for ever. For them the world ends at the horizon line of the swamps. One day, though, Zaman learns that his wife suffers from a strange illness due to the war. He consulted the only doctor of the region, who advised him to go to a big town to find the medication. Zaman sails across the swamps and up the Tigris. He witnesses the ancient and modern history of the Iraqi land and its people. In Amara, the big city, Zaman goes through many disillusions. He is on the brink of despair when he resigns himself to go to Baghdad, which seems to be the only possible place where he could find what he is looking for. He is then really confronted to modern civilisation. Zaman is happy to be back in his village. His wife, who has expected him for such a long time, is happy too. But this won't last long.