turtles can fly

turtles
Originally uploaded by recyclingfan.

This is by far the most depressing, painful movie i have ever seen. In fact, this was shown at the 3 rivers film festival last fall, and it sounded so depressing, I purposely avoided seeing it. But, it played again at Regent Square theater, and I went to see it not realizing what it was. This is a movie about children in a refugee camp on the Iran-Turkey border just prior to US invasion of Iraq. The main character is Satellite, so named because he knows how to hook up a satellite dish to a TV so the village elders can get information on the war (they cant speak english so they cant understand the news shows - they dismiss the news as propaganda anyway). Ironically, the only person they understand on the news is Saddam Hussein speaking! Satellite organizes the refugee children to dig up land mines to sell to arms merchants for money. He is rewarded for his success in hooking up the satellite by being given an abandoned armored personnel vehicle to live in. (there are abandoned military vehicles all over). The poverty is hard to describe. Other characters are Henzov and Agrin, a brother and sister, who have a younger "borther" to care for: a blind toddler. Agrin wants to leave the camp: she cant, because she cares for Henzov who is armless, and the blind baby. Throughout the film she considers different ways of committing suicide. One reviewer said to view this movie at home, turn down the sound, and just read the subtitles, that way you dont have to listen to children crying and weeping for 2 hours. Henzov is armless, but he digs up land mines for resale with his mouth - yes, he disarms land mines by unscrewing them with his teeth. Satellite gets injured toward the end, (guess how), and his crying is endless...he is crying for all the pain he has endured for so long...its unbearable. The movie ends with no hope - the village elders are disengaged - they have given up any control over their lives. The americans pay no attention to the refugees - they move silently through the camp. This is a crazy, cruel, meaningless adult-created world as seen through the eyes of children. What horror we humans can create?! See this movie only with you support group.