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The Liberace of
Baghdad Sean McAllister
/ UK 2004 / 70 min
This film by Sean
McAllister - recognized at the Sundance Film Festival - is
truly a work of documentary cinema, whereas dozens of other
films about post-war Iraq usually stick to the purely journalistic
point of view. Here, however, we can clearly distinguish quality
and a cogent narrative style. McAllister depicts his friendship
with Samir Peter, once a famous Iraqi pianist. Nine months
after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Samir plays the piano
for a handful of foreigners staying in a luxurious hotel in
central Baghdad. For security reasons, he prefers to stay
in the hotel basement after work rather than return home.
McAllister flawlessly portrays the disquieting and tense Baghdad
atmosphere, while Samir and his family exemplify how diverse
the opinions and sentiments of Iraqis are in the context of
recent events and their country's current situation.
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