Review of Operation Filmmaker (2008) by Raul B — 07 Jul 2008

A fascinating documentary that started out as what seems a DVD extra and ended up becoming a feature itself. The film follows "Everything is Illuminated" director Liev Schreiber's idea to bring a young Iraqi film student, Muthana, to the set of his film to work as an apprentice.

Give this kid an opportunity of a lifetime and create some great footage with the story...it seemed like a great idea, right? But what happened wasn't next didn't go according to plan. The director likening Muthana's story to a metaphor on the war in Iraq may seem like stretch but in the context she puts it in, I do see the parallels.

While I felt for Muthana's situation adjusting to new cultures, I was less than honest, didn't appreciate the opportunity he was given, was too lazy to work and get a job when he wanted to extend his visa but more than willing to ask (or demand) handouts from his benefactors after the project was completed.

I was curious as to what Schreiber's plan was at the end of the project as he exited Prague while Muthana stayed on? Was the initial plan to send him back to war torn Iraq? Or let him make his own way, as the case seemed? I would have liked to hear an answer to that as the initial "exit plan" wasn't clear.

All in all, a solid documentary that poses some interesting questions and commentary.