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Movies / On DVD / Marooned in Iraq
Marooned in Iraq

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Marooned in Iraq (2003)

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Reviews Counted:27

Fresh:25

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.6/10

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: A famous Iranian singer, Mizra (Shahab Ebrahimi), and his two sons partake in an epic journey across hazardous terrain in director Bahman Ghobadi's MAROONED IN IRAQ. Set in the aftermath of the... A famous Iranian singer, Mizra (Shahab Ebrahimi), and his two sons partake in an epic journey across hazardous terrain in director Bahman Ghobadi's MAROONED IN IRAQ. Set in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, the ultimate aim of the journey is to search for Mizra's missing ex-wife, who fled Iran to find solace in Iraq when the war pulled a sudden halt to her singing career. The harsh terrain the men encounter results in experiences that run the full gamut of human emotions, from lighthearted, slapstick interplay, to the discovery of a mass grave of dead Iranians. Omnipresent throughout the film are the sounds of Saddam Hussein's jets flying overhead, which serve as a reminder of the treacherous nature of the men's trip. Iranian resident Ghobadi has created a moving tale of strength, resilience, and spirit in a time of extreme adversity. He skillfully weaves a dizzying array of emotions into his tale, allowing him to muse on the human condition, and illustrate the plight of the Iranian people as they suffered in the fallout of the Gulf War. Ultimately Ghobadi strives, and succeeds, to illustrate how his country was able to adapt, recover, and pull together in a time when it was physically and emotionally devastated. [More]

Starring: Shahab Ebrahimi, Iran Ghobadi, Faegh Mohamadi, Allah-Morad Rashtian

Starring: Shahab Ebrahimi, Iran Ghobadi, Faegh Mohamadi, Allah-Morad Rashtian

Director: Bahman Ghobadi

Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Screenwriter: Bahman Ghobadi
Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
Studio: Wellspring

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Marooned in Iraq

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Impresses with its varied notes and clear understanding of the powerful entertainment value in a road picture spryly maneuvering across heavily mined terrain.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
06/06/03
Boston Globe

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
07/16/05
Paul Sherman
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald

Marooned in Iraq is touching, funny, riveting, devastating and rife with extraordinary images.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/22/03
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

This peripatetic yarn is less resonant than Ghobadi's beautiful A Time for Drunken Horses, but it has enough energy to keep your eyes popping and your toes tapping.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
04/24/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Ghobadi does a professional job of melding these disparate parts together, carefully using the hard, scraggly Kurdistan landscape and the overhead sounds of war as tie-ins.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/06/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A road-and-buddy movie, Kurdish style, that effectively illustrates the damage Saddam Hussein did against Kurdish villages.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
04/17/03
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Eliciting affecting performances from his cast of nonprofessionals (all with fascinating faces), Ghobadi manages to balance the inhumanity with humanity.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/03/03
E! Online

No review available.

comment Comment
09/12/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Part rollicking road picture, part ardent homage to ethnic homeland, and part unexpected last laugh for Iran-based Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/30/03
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Both celebratory and elegiac.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/26/03
Maria Garcia
Maria Garcia
Film Journal International

[Ghobadi's] directorial maturation is reflected not only by Marooned in Iraq's balanced temperament, but also by its more traditional visual approach.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/28/03
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Filmcritic.com

Moving from the harsh reportage of his first feature, A Time for Drunken Horses, Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi looks at life through the all-seeing but forgiving lens of comedy.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
05/22/03
Henry Sheehan
Henry Sheehan
L.A. Weekly

The Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi made an impressive feature debut with the tragic tale of child smugglers A Time for Drunken Horses. Events in his second movie, Marooned in Iraq, are even more heart-rending.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
05/23/03
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Even though the film's tone grows ever more elegiac, it stubbornly remains a celebration of the Kurdish capacity to endure.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/22/03
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sorrowful road comedy set in a place where hardship and humor are brothers in arms.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/18/03
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The generalizations and speculations of the television anchors and commentators fade away in the face of a film like Bahman Ghobadi's Marooned in Iraq.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/25/03
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though Marooned in Iraq falls short of greatness, its timing couldn't be more brilliant.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
05/02/03
Bob Campbell
Bob Campbell
Newark Star-Ledger

Often very funny and poignant.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/25/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

Ghobadi's witty dialogue successfully balances pathos and humor in palatable fashion

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
11/05/03
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
 
 
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