SCREEN

The Joe Reasonable Iraqi we follow is Dr. Riyadh al-Adhadh, a father of six who lives in a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad and works at the free clinic. His perspective on the war is resoundingly bleak. He regards his country's oil fields as "a curse," and when prisoners of Abu Ghraib complain to him through a fence that they've been held without trial for more than a year, he replies, "We are an occupied country with a puppet government. What do you expect?"

Despite his cynicism and the world-weariness permanently etched into his face, al-Adhadh is commendably proactive and even decides to run for office as a member of the shaky Islamic Party. But he does so begrudgingly, believing that religion offers more justice than any secular system. The invasion of Iraq was termed "Iraqi Freedom" because Americans consider democracy to be the epitome of freedom, but what if Iraqis have a different perspective? These are the questions the film raises.

It all takes place before a harsh backdrop that puts American fears in perspective. As we take every possible precaution (including the invasion of Iraq) to ensure that not a single bomb goes off on U.S. soil, al-Adhadh and other civilians go about their lives with explosions echoing nearby every day, due to the very precautions we have taken. The film's most memorable scene shows a woman swatting a fly, completely inured to the gunfire outside.

The documentary ends with the 2005 Iraqi election and a televised George W. Bush touting it as "a resounding success." Al-Adhadh doesn't seem to agree. But the American perspective is the only one that really matters, right?