MovieChat Forums > Iraq in Fragments (2007) Discussion > Is it a neutral piece or politically bia...

Is it a neutral piece or politically biased?

posted 18 years ago by Kahlin83
17 replies | jump to latest

I really want to see this documentary, however my main concern is it iwll be ultra-liberal like Michael Moore's work, or it will be extremely conservative. I want a film that doesn't trash the current operation in Iraq, nor paint it with a rainbow coloured paintbrush saying it's all sunshine and lollipops. I believe in what the soldiers are doing over there, and I respect them for helping. Iraq is a nation that was and currently still is in need of help.

I just don't want a film that's extremely biased.

Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.

[–] cptzwiggles 17 years ago

This film doesn't really deal with the politics of the situation at all directly. There is basically no American presence besides a couple shots in the film, it's fully from the perspective of Iraqis. It is unlike basically all the other documentaries about Iraq which are dealing with policy and political questions in various ways. This is profoundly an art film which happens to be set in post-occupation Iraq. It basically transcends bias as a film.

[–] Kahlin83 17 years ago

Perfect!

Thank you for the good replt Cap'n ;).

I look forward to seeing this then.

Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.

[–] enbilal 17 years ago

But don't expect the opressed to speak good about their occupiers.

~~~~~~

[–] wagnerfrederic 17 years ago

What a peculiar thing to say: 'I don't want this film to deviate from what I believe to be true.'

Clearly, unbiasedness is something that is impossible to achieve. Bias always depends on perception, every shot the film maker decides to include or decides to leave out is a form of bias. If the resulting film coincides with your previous beliefs that's is not because it is unbiased. One might suggest that the only way to obtain an unbiased picture of what is going on in Iraq is to go there yourself. But everything you see, every bit of information, is interpreted under the pretext of your identity and formerly constructed beliefs. You are never able to observe something objectively.

This is why political sciences exists. It analyses different events under different lights, it applies to observations what we know about inherent biases, to come up with an understanding of events that provides useful insights and policy recommendations.

I wonder how the original poster came up with his opinion of agreeing what our soldiers are doing in Iraq. What does he base his opinion on? How can he be sure that the coalition forces are doing a good job? Indeed what are they trying to achieve? If you are interested in the topic there is a book I can recommend with the same name as the film: Iraq in Fragments; The occupation and its legacy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iraq-Fragments-Occupation-Legacy-Politics/dp/1850657777/sr=8-1/qid=1171557822/ref=pd_ka_1/026-0569957-6343636?ie=UTF8&s=books

It provides useful insight and backs up any arguments and opinions by well researched facts. Something we should probably all do more often.

F.

[–] Kahlin83 17 years ago

I just saw your post. I never said "I don't want this to deviate from what I believe to be true". I don't want an ultra liberal or ultra conservative piece that has a totally biased slant in favour of one side or the other. I'm one of those people that feel as though some fact is lost when it turns into someone's own personal agenda.

[–] pathos2005-1 17 years ago

haha, idiot.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] IainRidley 17 years ago

It is a perspective of peoples lives in Iraq, the first story about the boy in particular is touching, it is not scripted or forced it is mearly life

Open the pod bay doors, Hal

[–] sljones44 17 years ago

what..biased like this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/blackwater_prose cutions

[–] bogwart-1 17 years ago

It's not biased. It's a documentary, not a film or a puff piece for one side or another.

Naturally there is criticism of the occupation forces. How could it be otherwise? And this documentary was made three and four years ago, when things were immeasurably better for the Iraqis than they are now.

[–] james_longley 17 years ago

Just to clarify, I filmed the material in IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS between February, 2003 and April, 2005. Editing and post production continued until the first week of Janaury, 2006. The film was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2006.

[–] Kahlin83 16 years ago

I love the two responses where people assume I'm conservative who want some documentary portraying OIF in a positive light, or they assume I never want to question what I believe like that one post on the first page. All I stated was I want something without a hidden agenda, and something honest, unlike a few other documentaries. To those of you who replied with that information, thank you very much. I'll give it a shot soon. I've wanted to for a while now but when I get to the video store, I often forget about it :(. I won't next time!

[–] roell29 14 years ago

Everything isn't divided into liberal and conservative. That's just one paradigm the media uses to herd you mentally like cattle. You don't have to accept it. Define your own categories. Think for yourself. Personally I turned the movie off because thought it did have a hidden agenda. The first guy interviewed was a complete slimeball who is depicted as your average Iraqi. He is verbally abusive to a child in the worst way, gaining his trust and then continually telling him he's completely worthless, etc. We've already killed over a million of them and now we depict them like this? I'm sure you could find such a person in any country in the world, but think about how it affects the average veiwer, who may have some degree of awareness of how we have decimated the Iraqi people. The viewer is led to think, "Ew, these people are horrible. Now wonder we killed them. They really needed to die anyway." People will grasp at any excuse to relieve themselves of painful feelings like guilt and shame, and this movie provides it. it's not a liberal/conservative agenda but an elitist, antihuman, imperialist agenda - and that's the kind of hidden agenda that you really have to beware of, because ultimately it's meant to dehumanize *you* (and it's one you will most often find in British productions btw).

Welcome to Costco, I love you...

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] watedge 16 years ago

Ignore most people here. This film is not bias to any one side. I really suggest you view it, it's really really well done on so many levels.

[–] medicatedsoup 15 years ago

I wouldnt call the film biased at all, maybe just selective of the types of people it shows.

I do wonder if it might leave some viewers thinking that this small group of characters give a fair representation of most people in Iraq. I think it could be possible for example, that an American viewer who gets all or most of their information about Iraq from mainstream American television, could come away from this film thinking that most Iraqi's are badly educated religious extremists with violent and chaotic lives, which was definately not the case in my experience.
The standard of living,education system and public services were decent and similar to ours in the west for most of Iraq, it was only after Saddam got involved with our governments that the country started to go downhill fast.