Negative Positive
Title: Before the deluge . . .
Review: Though an important moment in post-Saddam Iraq, this film is a sliver of history capturing something of the crafting of the country's provisional constitution, drafted in part by the filmmaker's father. The film also conveys in interviews with Iraqi citizens something of the after effects of "shock and awe" when there was still hope that a little patience would be all that was required before a new normalcy took hold - and coalition forces ended their occupation. But there are already ominous signs of what is to come - bombings, sectarian unrest, imprisonment and harsh treatment of detainees. Offered the presidency of the country, the filmmaker's 80-year-old father returns to London, where he has been living in exile, understanding that as a man of integrity the job would be too much for him. A film whose melancholy has deepened in the five years since it was first released.
Is the review positive or negative? 