Best movie of this year hands down!

Am I Missing Something?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Where to begin? This was one of those unintentionally hilarious documentaries, like 'Kurt 'n Courtney', or 'American Movie', that no writer is creative enough to concoct. As Kubrick said, "Reality is more inventive than human beings." This truth is continually demonstrated here.The premise is a perfect set-up for continued conflict to see a formerly-rich, conservative Islamic kid flown to the Czech Republic to help liberal Hollywood Jews (not that there's anything wrong with that) to assist with a real Hollywood film.I have a special distaste for Hollywood politics, and evidently, this guy was very comfortable biting the hand that fed him. Apart from the significant cultural divide between he and his benefactors, he was a fan of the Iraq war, for one. Um, he doesn't believe in kissing ass. He's not some poor, unsophisticated brown guy who's happy to take orders and perpetually 'play the game' to get into Hollywood.And there's something truly awesome about that.I write my own independent films, and good writing isn't easy. Getting exposure to inspired storytelling is great, but sometimes only a documentary can capture the richest poetry in life, because it's real. This documentary is a great example of that.The subject - whose name I didn't bother to look up - does have a certain charisma, a certain dignity and honesty. And yet, he squanders opportunities (whether you believe in sucking up to effete, phony Hollywood people or not), has no sense to prepare for the future, and even goes so far as to ask the star of a film he's PA'ing on (The Rock) for money for film school. He seems highly adept at humiliating himself.I don't know how much of his due to his young age, or cultural differences, or subconscious fears of failure, or because he just doesn't see the shame in that, but, miraculously, he continues to reap windfalls by virtue of having escaped the Iraq War.The film does resolve itself, which is great. It meanders a bit, but in the end, the guy has this amazing sort of confessional, which indicates he knows more than we might suspect. He's a dreamer. He doesn't believe in sucking up. He will 'make it' because he's 'true'.What's amazing about this film is: everybody at age 22 believed these things. And often they get thumped pretty good by life for such naivete. In this film, we see an honest dreamer amid phonies, suck-ups, people fearful of being real, incapable of confrontation (a producer at one point walks off, and then returns to confront him about some pretty plain wrongdoings), and really messing them up.They can't seem to understand why he isn't more grateful to them.In this way, it's a whole lot like the Iraq War. What's that they say about 'the road to hell being paved with the good intentions'?

This is a small-ish film but I think it's wonderful and quite a leap from many docs. Not only is the director/producer/editor/photographer is the same person and is behind the camera, the events that unfold make her also an actress - in her own film, which is the self-conscious representation of the diary of Muthana. The movie works in a few levels, and the viewer is so left to make up his/her own mind with regards to the person in the centre of it all. Beyond anything, it's a candid personal portrait of someone who is fighting for his life (but also for the Easy Life) - and does so in the most unlikeable way. We sympathise yet we don't feel empathy towards Muthana. And that says it all - he is a unique and unrelentlessly himself, even if it's not the right person to fit the mold we expect. I'm curious where he is now... Anything can happen with this guy...!

A young film student gets himself on MTV expressing his feelings about his dreams of becoming a film maker being shattered by first the dictator ruling over his country of birth, Iraq, and then by US that bombed it. This show gets seen by an American film maker that wants to give him a chance of a life time and invites him to come to Prague to help and learn during a film he is making there.This documentary starts there, as the student arrives and starts helping along in the making of the film and gets introduced to all the various angles to making one. As it continues it shows the changes in the student and his surroundings and the way he deals with that.Being a typical documentary this film doesn't have any special effects whatsoever - except for the occasional ones seen when they arrive at the scene of a film that uses them. It uses a very direct and personal approach and the maker of the documentary herself gets fairly involved with the person she is filming and that makes it very close but also very nice to watch. It's a bit like reading some ones personal diary but with them standing right next to you and commenting on what you are reading.It is easy to judge the film student but for me that isn't the point of a film review. As a documentary I can rate this fairly highly as it uses an interesting approach that keeps one bound to the chair during its full length.8 out of 10 film makers interrogated

In this unique documentary, an Iraqi teenager named Muthana is flown from Baghdad to Prague to participate in the filming of "Everything is Illuminated", a film directed by Liev Schreiber. Muthana had been showcased on MTV as an aspiring filmmaker, and Schreiber saw an opportunity to help him out by allowing him to participate in the film-making process, hoping that Muthana would pick up the skills that would help him realise his ambition. Documentary filmmaker Nina Davenport was there to film his experience, probably hoping to capture an inspiring story of the dreams of a disadvantaged youth coming to life. What in fact happened in front of the cameras was a fascinating tale of shattered expectations, disillusionment, cultural divide, pride, denial, bureaucracy and incredible generosity that can only be described as "real life". One of the subjects of the film sums it up best in saying "what the f**k did you think was going to happen?".As you may have guessed, Muthana didn't fit the producers' idealised image of a boy with a dream and the perseverance and ambition to achieve it when given the chance. It's not that he was, for lack of a better word, bad; he wasn't violent, unsociable, or hateful; he was just an average somewhat apathetic teenager, with the typical misconceptions about how the world works. However, he was facing the inordinate dilemma of whether or not he should return to Baghdad. His father was shown on video categorically telling him not to return, as he was given the chance to start a better life. However, staying in the Czech Republic was not a viable option either, as renewing his visa was becoming increasingly problematic, and he didn't speak the local language. Davenport followed Muthana with her camera long after shooting wrapped on "Everything is Illuminated", chronicling his work as a production assistant for "Doom", which was also filmed in Prague, during which Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson becomes an integral part of the documentary. She continues filming him through his attempts to emigrate to the US and the UK, becoming increasingly less of an observer, and more of a subject of the documentary herself.I won't reveal any more of Muthana's fascinating story, which remains unsettlingly real despite growing increasingly farcical throughout the film. Many moments are quite comical, with the audience oftentimes laughing at the characters, rather than with them. At times it even borders on being exploitative, but it's difficult to call it that given the generosity of Davenport toward Muthana.The film provokes a number of questions from the audience, especially regarding Muthana. Was he too proud? Plain lazy? Not as passionate about film-making as people thought? Or was the cultural barrier just too big? Did they just pick the wrong kid? Are those of us in developed countries too presumptuous, ignorant, or disillusioned about the youth in third-world countries? Are they any different from the youth in developed countries, all negative aspects included? Furthermore, the war in Iraq plays a crucial role, with news broadcasts on the war along with footage filmed by Muthana's friends in Baghdad interspersed throughout the film. While it may seem that Davenport was trying to make a statement on the war, the footage is quite pertinent to Muthana's story, and serves primarily as a commentary on how the war is perceived by the different characters. Some of the comments on the war made by Muthana and other Iraqis affected by it are particularly fascinating.Overall I was very impressed by the film, and I was lucky enough to see it during the 2007 Sydney Film Festival. Though as a disclaimer, I must say that I found it much more easy to relate to than most people would, having grown up as a third-culture kid, living in Prague for over 7 years when I was a teenager, and experiencing first-hand the difficulties of the immigration process in numerous countries. But on the other hand, I think anyone will find a lot they can relate to in this wonderful documentary.