The Situation

The situation in Iraq is a mess, said Kyle Smith in the New York Post. So is The Situation, Hollywood's first feature film about the Iraq war. A reporter, played by Connie Nielsen, muddles through a morass of murderous insurgents, corrupt Iraqis, and thuggish American soldiers. Characters wander in and out, moral quandaries are introduced and ignored, and 'œthe story line can be difficult to follow' when it's headed anywhere at all. But the point of director Philip Haas' 'œbrilliantly infuriating' film isn't to explain, said J. Hoberman in The Village Voice. He wants to re-create the feeling of chaos that Iraqis experience every day. The hopelessly complicated web of incidents confronts us with our own inability to imagine any effective course of action. 'œThe big picture is that there is no big picture.' To make a film about chaos, however, you need a strong central character, said Anthony Lane in The New Yorker. Nielsen's reporter is 'œso meek and fretful that, as a character, she is soon outgunned by her surroundings,' and for a journalist she's also remarkably incurious. When American soldiers toss two Iraqi teens into a river, Nielsen doesn't ask the difficult questions needed to uncover the big story. Neither does The Situation. 'œIf Haas feels no need to spin a tight yarn, that may be because he is too busy making a point.'

Rating: Not Rated

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