The Situation
A journalist encounters corruption and cruelty in postwar Iraq.
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
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
Rivals: the Jilly Cooper 'bonkbuster' TV hit that everyone's talking about
In the spotlight 1980s novel hits the small screen, bringing wet dogs, big hair and lots of 'rumpy pumpy'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Top saunas around the UK
The Week Recommends Finnish-style saunas are popping up everywhere, promising a slew of potential health benefits
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published