"Turtles Can Fly"

Bahman Ghobadi's film "Turtles Can Fly", is an Iranian film that takes place in Iraq, very close to the Turkish border.  The story starts off with giving away the end of the movie, but without giving away any details, which leaves the viewers on the edge of their seats with suspense while they try and find out why the movie ends in such a dramatic way.  The movie then moves back in time to tell the story of a boy Soran,  better known as Satellite, who knows English and who goes from village to village setting up satellite television so that the villagers can hear news of the upcoming war against the United States.  Soran's knowledge is so great and rare in this area of Iraq that even though he is just a teenager, he runs the village and orders the children around to do his will.  The movie tells the story of how the children of a particular village prepare for war by undigging mines left by the United States in the Gulf War to trade them in for guns.

Ghobadi does a very good job throughout the movie to make us feel as if we are in the same situation as these kids, many of which have lost their arms and legs to mine explosions.  All the young stars in this movie play their roles very well, showing us the hard lifestyle they live through the images, while at the same time enjoying the simple pleasures of life.  Ghobadi also gives us Americans a new aspect on the war which we are fighting.  Rather than to constantly show the Americans as saviors who saved the Iraqi's from Saddam, it shows a little of how the Iraqi's felt when they were being invaded.  

Overall "Turtles can Fly" is an amazing movie, full of suspense and even comedy at times.  As long as you can get past the fact that you have to read the subtitles, I cannot see anyone not enjoying this movie, and although Iraqi's might understand this movie in a completely different way since this might correspond with some of their own experiences, it applies to the American audience as well because we are part of this war.  I would recommend this movie to anyone to go see!