Part of the problem with the film, though, is that some of the scenes with the doctor and his family and the doctor and his patients have a staged feel to them -- as if, they were also putting on a "show."
Comment
07/14/07
My Country, My Country (2006)
85 %
Reviews Counted: 34 Fresh: 29 Rotten:5 Average Rating: 7.1/10
Consensus:
This war documentary offers a valuable look at Iraqi life under the U.S. occupation, and finds a compelling central subject in Dr. Riyadh.
Runtime: 90 mins
Theatrical Release: 00-00-0000
Synopsis: Working alone in Iraq over eight months, director/cinematographer Laura Poitras creates an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Iraqis living under U.S. occupation. Her principal focus is Dr. Riyadh, an Iraqi medical doctor, father of six and Sunni political candidate. An outspoken... [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
Director: Laura Poitras
Reviews
Poitras demonstrates fine judgement in making Dr. Riyadh the central focus of her well-detailed story.
02/05/07
The documentary maintains an observant distance from the sweep of history, and even the elections.
12/21/06
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11/11/06
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10/21/06
Poitras creates a vivid portrait of Iraqi civilians siding with neither the U.S. occupation nor the insurgents but just looking for the killing to end.
10/20/06
Top Critic
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09/30/06
In 90 captivating minutes, Laura Poitras' extraordinary documentary My Country, My Country gives you a greater understanding of the situation in Iraq than you'd get from 100 hours of Fox News or CNN.
09/29/06
... day-to-day life under occupation where citizens still live without power... and extremist rebels wage a campaign of intimidation against Iraqis and Americans alike.
09/28/06
The camera should never leave the four walls of the Riyad family home. Beyond that story, there is a dullness to the pacing and the wider tale of the Iraqi elections.
09/21/06
Despite some flaws--docu doesn't illustrate the political backdrop or explains where the Sunis fit vis-a-vis the Kurds, Shia, Arbas--Poitras' feature is essential in venturing into new grounds that no journalists or directors have previously explored
09/16/06
What My Country, My Country does best is show us that while both the Americans and the Iraqis care about the country's future, their cultural backgrounds and world views inevitably make them seem alien to each other.
09/15/06
Top Critic
The film delivers powerful images of a country mired in chaos, where explosions, gunfire, power outages and unrest rule the day, leading to a national despondency that understandably fails to rise above the endemic suffering and daily death.
09/15/06
Journalism at its finest, as has not been practiced in the U.S. in some time.
09/05/06
The fascinating story of the heroism of a busy Sunni doctor in Baghdad running for parliament in Iraq's January 30, 2005, election.
09/01/06
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