Meeting Resistance (2007)

Here is the truth in Iraq, this is the report on the Iraqui side of the story, this is the documentary we all want to see. Molly Bingham (US) and Steve Connors (UK) were two journalists able to document the opinions and view of eleven Iraqui Resistance fighters in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad.



The journalists made sure all the resistors are all anonymous. Usually faceless or out-of-focus on camera. They are presented as nicknames: The Teacher, The Warrior, The Traveler, The Imam, The Wife, The Syrian, The Fugitive, The Local, The Republican Guard, The Lieutenant, and The Professor.

While not going into too much depth into each story, it's important to note the risk involved for these two journalists. Throughout the documentary, there are incidents of shocking violence which depict perfectly how the American soldiers are aggressors, and how their oppresive presence in Iraq has affected negatively the population.

One cannot help but feel sided with the Iraqui people. It makes perfect sense to defend your country against an invading military force. Admittedly at times I was put off by the religious factors of the conflict, because for many Iraquis, religion is their main motivation. For the majority, especially the interviewees, they are waging "Jihad", a religious war, and I find this aspect disputable. However, the religious aspect justifies its importance by ultimately becoming the uniting factor for the resisting population.

The documentary is real. Facts are facts, the American invasion is hated, and the resistance has wide popular support. The resistance is able to fund itself through that support and buy weapons to attack American military targets, all for the purpose of, ironically, liberating Iraq from the oppressors. So now here's the question: why are the American troops still there?