By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Maysoon Pachachi
Country: germany, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2005
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461832/combined
Bruce says: “RETURN TO THE LAND OF WONDERS is a documentary about what is going on in Iraq today. The filmmaker’s
father is Adnan Pachachi who has lived in exile for 35 years. He is one of the key people the US appointed to the Iraqi Governing Consul whose main task is to write the new constitution. Spotting an opportunity, Ms. Pachachi follows him to Baghdad where she sets up base to interview people from all walks of life.
“This film does not teach the average viewer much that he or she does ot already know or, at the very least, suspect. Its primary value is showing us what is going on behind the scenes in ways that the evening news never bothers to capture. We get to see real people talking about their immediate concerns. The film is narrated by the filmmaker but we never see her. Whether that is borne of humility or stage fright we cannot be sure.
“‘No to occupation; yes to liberation,’ is the general attitude of the people we meet. When the Iraqi Governing Consul signs a treaty that gives control to foreign posers, cynics say ‘Why bother with a sovereign government. Let them rule us from Washington.’ Such jaundiced attitudes are no wonder. We hear tales of American soldiers shooting the innocent driver of a car that backfired; people relate the horrors of Abu Graibi. Blackouts are common occurrences. Hospitals do not have medicines and supplies. In is not safe to go anywhere, especially if one is a journalist. Overall the people are glad to be rid of Saddam but are horrified by the events which have occurred since the American occupation. In the liberated Iraq everyone is on the take, jockeying for money and power because the stakes are so big.
“The world of the Pachachis is one of privilege and elegance. Their temporary residence in Baghdad and the offices where the constitution is being written reek of luxury. Home movies from Maysoon Pachachi’s childhood indicate that was always the case with her family. They have always been educated, liberated and moneyed in the midst of multitudes that are uneducated, poor and tethered to their culture with little promise of upward mobility.
“Adnan Pachachi states that his main objective is to ensure that the constitution ends up with a comprehensive Bill of Rights. That footage dates the film. Recently we have read that the rights of women are likely to be bartered away to appease the religious Shiites. We are left with the feeling that even those with the best intentions have been naive and misguided. By the end of the film Adnan Pachachi has retreated to London in fear for his life. 3.5 cats”