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Battle for Haditha

Director: Nick Broomfield
Genre: Drama/War
Year: 2007

Based on the accounts of Novermber 19, 2007 in Haditha, an incident where a roadside bomb planted against the American troops resulted in the massacre of 24 civilians, including women and children; a fact which the United States Armed Forces attempted to cover up and which kicked back with similar fury as the Abu Ghraib incident. If you have followed the news even remotely during the days of the Iraq war, then most likely you are aware of the incident and therefore already know how this movie will unfold. There are no surprise moments here, no plot twists, everything is, in fact, presented almost in documentary fashion, with hand held camera movements and close — seemingly unscripted — moments building up and leading to the moment of bloodshed.

Battle for Haditha follows three separate groups on a collision course. The first is Kilo Company, a group of Marines charged with patrol in Haditha. We are given insight into life within the company, their problems, their issues, their thoughts broadcast directly to the camera in some instances and at other times allowing us to be invisibly in the room as a silent witness. The second group is the insurgents who plant the improvised explosive device (IED), acquired from the ‘foreigners’ or Al-Quaeda soldiers who are themselves not exactly trusted. It is made crystal clear that these Iraqi men act not in specific hatred but desperation, in an effort to free their country from the American occupation. The last group the film observes is an Iraqi family, innocent civilians planning a party, celebrating the circumcision of their son and who are unfortunate enough to live next to the road which is chosen as the place for the IED.

One thing that is immediately clear from watching this film is that non-actors were utilized and wherever possible they attempted to use actual soldiers or actual Iraqis that had been caught in situations such as the one described in this film. The result is often gripping, given that the actors will have the proper motivation for their roles, they seem to understand the vision they are trying to carry out in this film. Unfortunately, at the same time that some of these actors shine, the contrast between them and others who may not have seen action, or may not have been present is pretty significant. It could very well be that they are simply not very good actors, but there are a handful of roles in this movie that fail to keep up with the rest of the cast and while their roles may not necessarily hog much screen time (such as Capt. Sampson), their roles are important enough that their bad acting detracts from the film.

Another thing that ought to be credited for this film is its attempt to understand all sides of the story. While its accuracy has been brought up into question by multiple sides (American’s claim it was not that bad, foreigners claim this was not bad enough), to get caught up in that debate does terrible disservice to what the film is attempting to say, namely the intricate web that leads men and women into the path of violence and how easily it is for things to go wrong when emotions are involved.

Broomfield takes the time to get to know the characters in this film, in fact most of the movie, which builds up to the actual events of November 19th are spent getting to know the main players (at times overdoing it). He humanizes them as best as possible, giving us insight into why soldiers are there, what their attitude is, and making it clear that there is a difference between the men on the field and the men removed by distance, watching things unfold on the screens of televisions like a video game. It shows the frustration of the Iraqis and the ways they choose to deal with it, some taking action, some only being caught in the ever escalating turmoil that surrounds them. It is difficult not to feel for each of these characters in turn as the account develops and it is easy to see how finding solutions for circumstances such as this is both difficult and dangerous.

Regardless of your point of view, this film is likely to make an attempt to show it, sometimes more effectively than others. At certain times it feels the director put too much butter on the bread, so to speak, when it was not exactly necessary. There are more than enough moments in this film that tug at the emotions to try to load it up with additional secondary issues that are never truly explored or resolved. While we feel, for example, Cpl. Ramirez’s bout with sleeplessness, it is unnecessary given all the other things going on around him; we are able to connect with him before this whole issue is brought up; that it is, feels almost pasted on. At other times, the script feels a little predictable, where certain events at the beginning make it pretty clear who is going to die in the end.

Nevertheless, even with its handful of flaws, this film serves as a food for thought and gives a thorough enough examination of the incidents on Haditha to spark good debates if nothing else, starting with the way war seems to continuously prey on the wrong people and ending with the blatant manipulation that happens on both sides of the conflict. Being a war film, expect some violence and disturbing moments.

Rating:
Comments: Graphic violence, disturbing images, heavy language. Parts are spoken in Iraqi, subtitled into English.