Recycle (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Recycle |
| Original title | إعادة خلق |
| Country of production | Jordan / Netherlands / Germany / Czech Republic / USA |
| original language | Arabic |
| Publishing year | 2007 |
| length | 82 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Mahmoud al-Massad |
| script | Mahmoud al-Massad |
| production | Mark Lipson |
| camera | Mahmoud al-Massad |
| cut | Majed Ameri, Sami Chekhes, Mahmoud al-Massad |
| occupation | |
|
Ammar El Azzam | |
Recycle (Arabic film title:إعادة خلق, DMG Iʿādat Ḫalq ) is a 2007 Jordanian documentary directed by Mahmoud al-Massad.
content
The film describes the life of a former mujahid , Abu Ammar, who returned from Afghanistan to his homeland Jordan and who tries to support his family of ten.
Abu Ammar lives in a poor district of the Jordanian city of Zarqa , where the famous terrorist Abu Musab az-Zarqawi was born. He was the leader of the al-Qaeda section in Iraq and was killed by US troops in 2005.
Abu Ammar lives on the subsistence level, he drives through the city in his rickety car, collects waste paper and dirty cardboard boxes, which he sells to a paper factory for little money. There are hardly any alternatives, normal economic relations with Iraq are not possible because of the war, and no publisher is interested in the book on the Koran that Abu Ammar is working on. Despite constant setbacks, he tries to preserve his dignity and to combine everyday life and faith. This shows the poverty in Jordan and the ruthlessness of everyday life. Abu Ammar gives the filmmaker a hint of the four months of pre-trial detention and interrogation in Jordan, but does not go into detail.
The film closes with Abu Ammar's departure to a western country to take a job. This had initially brought him into a conflict of conscience, since he could only leave if he were lying and this actually represents a sin from an Islamic point of view.
background
Mahmoud al-Massad was born in Zarqa in 1969 as the son of Palestinian refugees. About his motivation for making the film, he said:
“As a filmmaker from Zarka / Jordan who lives in Europe, I wanted to find out why extremism seems to thrive so easily in my hometown. So after eight years abroad, I returned to Zarka to do research for a film that would examine the cultural conflicts between Islam and the West and find other means of representation than those of the media, which tend to show two sides and us then force us to choose one. "
criticism
"Unspectacular scenes which, between documentary observation and careful staging, skilfully undermine expectations."
“The filmmaker openly shows the social and economic lack of prospects, which shakes even the most devout in their principles. It shows the poverty that afflicts people and mercilessly punishes every mistake. Only doubt grows between belief and external constraints. The conversation with his friends after the common Friday prayer reveals their thoughts, which always return to their starting point. There seems to be no way out. In 80 minutes Recycle explains some of the reasons for the radicalization of the Arabs with simple pictures. The fate of Abu Ammar, who at some point has to make a serious decision in view of the catastrophic situation, does not leave the viewer without a trace. Across cultural and religious hurdles, Al-Massad understands how to illustrate people's struggle for survival in such a way that one can understand their thinking without the film becoming a pity number. The film makes it clear that a lot here revolves around integrity and dignity. Nobody is ashamed of poverty, but fights against it with the means available. "
Film critic David Siems praised the "simple and memorable images"
Awards
- 2007 Cinema in Motion Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival Work in Progress
- World Cinema Camera prize at the Sundance Film Festival 2008
- Special mention at the Planete Doc Review - Documentary Film Festival in Warsaw 2008.
Web links
- Official website of the film
- Recycle in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ arabisches-filmfestival.de
- ↑ tagesspiegel.de
- ↑ Recycle on Moviemaze
- ↑ Programmkino.de