The Ventnor Film Society starts the new season of film at the Ventnor Winter Gardens with Battle for Haditha.
Using ex-Marines as actors and shooting in Jordan, British director Broomfield recreates the events of November 19 2005, when US Marines massacred Iraqi civilians in retaliation for a deadly IED attack on their convoy.
Even-handedly cutting between the Marines led by Corporal Ramirez, the insurgents and Iraqi civilians, the handheld camera throws us head-first into the action and asks us to find our own way through the fog of war.
Instead of demonising the Marines, Broomfield treats them with compassion and the insurgents are never reduced to fanatics.
However, it’s the Iraqi civilians who are the film’s heart, and it is their comments which prompt the cast’s largely improvised performances.
Bits and Bobs:
Dir: Nick Broomfield UK 2008 95 mins Cert 15
Cast: Elliot Ruiz, Eric Mehalacoloulos, Andrew McClaren, Yasmine Hanani
Season Ticket for all 8 films: £30 (£20 Concessionary)
Single Ticket: £4.50 (£3.50 Concessionary)
Concessionary tickets are available to students, senior citizens and the unwaged.
