Occupation: Dreamland

A film for those who think that embedded journalism never yields results. The makers follow a simple squad of soldiers in Iraq. To be precise: unit 24/7 of the 82nd Airborn Division. They traveled with the soldiers when they were stationed near Falluja, even before Falluja became one of the grimmest hotbeds of the war. The soldiers operated from their camp that was christened Dreamland; they regularly went into Falluja in order to maintain order, even if they had no idea of the city, its inhabitants, the language, culture or religion. They may not be the smartest, but they are ordinary guys. They played in a band, but didn’t become famous or were too impatient to finish school. Or they had a boring job in a shoe store, and the army recruiting office just happened to be next door. They have received little training and have often never set foot outside America before. Now they are in the sandpit around Falluja twiddling their thumbs. And spewing their gall to the camera. No, it’s not a propaganda film. And Occupation: Dreamland does not have the tiresome message of many anti-war films. It provides a sober picture of the situation and that turns out to be effective. In view of the circumstances, the film was shot with remarkable suppleness and self-assurance. When things really started getting exciting around Falluja, the simple soldiers were taken away and a better-oiled war machine was deployed. (GjZ)