Ahlaam

Synopsis:
Scarred Baghdad 2003... confusion, uncertainty and death engulf the bombed ruins of a Psychiatric Asylum. Voyeuristically we move between the past and the present of three Iraqi lives entangled by the chaos of the American 'Shock and Awe' campaign...
Ahlaam (Aseel Adel) a bewildered young women, confined to the asylum after witnessing the violent arrest of her fiancee on their wedding day... deeply bruised she lives a confined existence in a state of delusion. Brutally damaged by the hands of the regime, Ahlaam is left with little hope, only a dream...
Dr. Mehdi (Mohamed Hashim), a hard working idealist, exiled to work at the institution despite his abilities, longs for a free Iraq where humanity is cherished not brutalised by hatred and fear, where the human quest for truth and goodness will triumph over the brutality he witnessed... But will Mehdi's spirit survive the devastation and his father's political past?
Ali (Bashir Al Majid), a patient and former soldier... once a proudly optimistic man eager to serve his country, now a shell-shocked shadow, traumatized by the American bombings. Ali's fearless insanity of his war zoned nation may be the hospital's only hope as he roams the terrorised gun ridden streets for surviving patients.... Ali's patronism may save others but will it save him?

Official site

Trailer

Awards:
Best Actor (Bashir Al Majid), Best Feature, 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival

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