WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What is war? We could go by Wikipedia, which states: “War is a state of armed conflict between states, governments, societies and informal paramilitary groups, such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, aggression, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces.” While this may define it, the reality of such hostilities is so much more devastatingly personal, and more often than not, irrational and senseless. So, what is it to be involved in such overtly unthinkable, frequently shocking, events? To seek out one they call “enemy” with the intent of ending his or her life for the sake of your own righteous cause? What is it to be a fighter?
There may be no better way to view the tragedy of clashing forces than to see it first hand, therefore witnessing the turmoil and tactics from a point of view of someone trained to enter combat. Headlong into a barren and bombed-out region of open lands in Syria, following a group of ragtag warriors on camera as they traverse across fields and abandoned, shattered buildings that stand stark against the terrain, remnants and reminders that all things, inanimate or otherwise, will fall victim to war’s grasp. And yet, even with this human factor present amidst the ground they strive to protect, we also see the horror of violence and the breakdown of rationality where suddenly, it’s no longer clear who’s right or wrong–as the lens keeps its observance–never-ending, immortal.
Next, my Mind:
We could say, with great accuracy, that opinions and visual depictions of war are ever-present, whether via news reports, radio broadcasts, social media, Presidential addresses, et al. However, when and if you choose to take in this 24-minute documentary short from writer/director Heba Khaled and producer Talal Derki, showing at this year’s Berlin Liberi Film Festival, be prepared to get a sobering, visceral, and highly realistic vantage point of both the mundane, mildly intense, and outright brutal sides of it all–because what you’re viewing IS the real thing throughout, thanks to the over to years of accumulated GoPro footage obtained from actual Syrian fighters on the front lines. Complete with a mix of spontaneous, unrehearsed “interviews”, random casual conversations, moments of sudden anxiety and cautiously harried movement, and (viewers, honestly, be warned) actual deaths, this film, as Khaled herself has advised, “aims to remind us that in a territory where the landscape and the people are ephemeral because of war, only the camera can remain alive, and only the image of a certain moment can remain eternal.”
This is certainly a sentiment emphasized here to superb but ultimately chilling, evocative effect, especially once the real-time narrative gets farther into its telling, and when it’s no longer a constant that what actions are being taken against the chosen foe is for the good or demonstrates the volatility and inconsistency of reason in the heat of armed battle when emotions run high. The finale alone will leave you speechless in both its gut-wrenching truth of events chronicled and again the harsh beyond words fact that what just happened isn’t followed by an actor or actors getting up and moving on. Call it unwatchable, call it horrifying in what it chooses to illustrate when proceedings turn violent, call it what you will, but there’s just no denying that the absolute absurdity of war is what finds itself as the core purpose of this film. The boldness alone to create this kind of documentary about war is commendable to this reviewer because how much more do we have to be shown before we realize that in the grand scheme of things, war should be utterly unnecessary, causing so much loss of innocent lives along with soldiers on either side of the fight who, yes, train well and are willing to defend their homeland and/or people’s freedom, but are only having to do so because agreement cannot be logically reached as it should ideally be.
Visually, because of it’s real-life, unedited, “found footage” stylings, the journey of these Syrian fighters is literally as raw and genuine as it can be, the camera images bouncing and moving via the running, ducking, and hiding out the men are involved with while passing amongst blown-out structures, open desert-like fields, or the roadways where they’ve taken out the enemy. It’s hard not to be edgy as the picture moves along, always fearful of something, or someone, suddenly getting struck by a bullet or artillery shell, and this does add to the documentary’s atmosphere it’s designed to have while watching this kind of perspective. Even the music chosen for the film, created by composer Mohammad Bazz, lends itself to the tension-filled segments that are causing sustained shifting in one’s seat or blatant wincing at indisputable, existent violence. In total, “People of the Wasteland”, admit it or not, is very much a sadly necessary, punch-in-the-face mnemonic device that won’t be for everyone, but should truly be seen be as many as possible so that perhaps, as the human race, we can finally begin better efforts to put war aside and find the ways to resolve our conflicts without bullets, bombs, civilian casualties, brave soldiers never coming home, families suffering, irreparable damage, and the loss of even the potential to see “peace to all, and to all, a good night.”
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
