Mosul

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George S Apr 15, 2019 "Mosul," the documentary feature covering Iraq's effort to reclaim Mosul City from ISIS control, succeeds in delivering its message in the form of a question. To effectively capture the harrowing experience, first-time director, Dan Gabriel, applies a journey-archetype of storytelling akin to "Heart of Darkness" while we follow journalist Ali Maula in his travels to Mosul. As the film unfolds, Ali documents the people and events surrounding the conflict and starts to uncover tensions brewing between the Iraqi groups, who have tentatively banded together to fight their common enemy: ISIS. Although Ali is the central protagonist, the focus is kept more on the diverse interviewees and raw combat footage, which speak greater volumes on its own. By the film's conclusion, the journey provides some closure and catharsis for Ali and the Iraqi people, but you still can't help feeling left at the proverbial crossroads. This is perhaps where Gabriel succeeds the most as a documentarian because he forces audiences to consider the truth, which begs the question, if ISIS is ultimately defeated, is Mosul still doomed by its sectarian roots? This quandary extends beyond the greater fate of the Iraq nation and the Middle East as a whole, and will surely resonate with audiences far past the film's 86-minute run time. See more

Apr 11, 2019 Mosul is a riveting look at one of the most contested regions in Iraq. Viewers are given an unvarnished glimpse of the realities of war and a full dose of reality the Dan Gabriel and his team provide in this one-of-a-kind film. As a U.S. Marine commander who fought during the deadliest fighting in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006, this film takes a look at our presence in the region through an unfiltered lens. A must-watch for all. See more

Hermione S Apr 11, 2019 Most people believe they have a decent grasp of the geopolitical undertones regarding ISIS, Iraq, and Sectarianism, but few can contextualize what may yet come to pass more than the true-life personalities in Dan Gabriel's debut film Mosul. This documentary style film tells the story of journalist Ali Mula as he makes his way from Baghdad to Mosul to interview an unrepentant, brooding ISIS prisoner. As he travels north he encounters some truly interesting characters including a Sunni woman in charge of a Shiite militia, who is alleged to have boiled the heads of fallen ISIS fighters, and war weathered men who tell campfire stories almost too horrific to believe. One of the more noticeable traits rarely seen in contemporary films is the welcome lack of spun narratives pitting one side against the other. This isn't so much about ISIS as it is about alliances formed and what comes next. Gabriel takes the audience on a "what you see is what you get" adventure that allows the audience to draw conclusions based off of real people giving real accounts set in the very real dystopian backdrop with exemplary cinematography, immersive audio production and musical score. During the approximately 86 minutes, I found myself cautiously optimistic that Iraqis, whether Sunni, Shia, Christian, Kurdish, or Yazidi could maintain their alliances after the takfiri group ISIS met their inevitable demise in Mosul. However, as a military veteran and Arabic speaker, who was directly involved with Intelligence gathering during Saddam's reign of terror in the late 90s and early 2000s, I was reminded that not everything is as it seems. For current and former military members, learners of Arabic (especially Iraqi and Levantine dialects), armchair generals, or regular folks who want to catch a rare glimpse of life in Iraq; I highly recommend seeing this film. See more

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Mosul

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