A biased--yet nonetheless compelling--documentary about how good intentions paired with cultural misunderstandings can yield disaster. Operation Filmmaker also removes the metaphorical barrier between documentarian and subject in a way that few documentaries have before.

There's a small bit of interest to be found from the tale of people blindly trying to do good without putting a lot of thought into it. But a lot of the interest is surrounded by a lead subject that's unsympathetic from the start, and almost everyone involved seems unaware of the vanity surrounding most of their actions.

Very interesting documentary about a man from Iraq. I usually hate documentaries because it captures 'reality' and it tries to objectify things. It is a worth while movie to watch, I must say I have more respect for Dwayne Johnson after this movie than i had before.

An interesting documentary that seems to corroborate the saying "No good deed goes unpunished".

Very disappointing and annoying pseudo-documentary that started with good intentions and then went no where. The producers and director (Liev Schriber) of the film "Everything Is Illuminated" watch an M온라인카지노추천 story where a young Iraqi film student has his school destroyed by a bomb during the current war effort and is left without an outlet to express his artisitic desires. Predictably enough, they locate him and bring him to Prague to work as a Production Assistant/Intern on their movie. What is not predictable is that fact that this Iraqi film student, Muthana, is a total ingrate with zero work ethic who feels everyone owes him a career just because he lived in war-torn Baghdad. Schrieber and co. quickly see through his scam and pass him off to another film being filmed in the same area, "Doom" starring The Rock. Muthana's sob story is believed by The Rock, who chooses to fund his year at a film school in London. Par for the course, Muthana screws this up as well. He also turns on the filmmaker who is following him around for this documentary and steals her equipment before kicking her out of his life. What sickened me the most was watching the bleeding-heart, liberal admissions staff at a prominent NYC Film School who watch a pretentious video Muthana sends them and they have tears in their eyes while agreeing to give him a full grant to come to NYC and study at their school. For all of those people trying to make it in the film industry that have been thwarted at every turn it is because miscreants like the hateful Muthana are taking your jobs. Don't watch this film unless you really want to get more pissed off at the Middle East and their hatred and resentment of the Western world.

One of the best examples of the complex relationship between documentarian and subject. A great film.

Terrific doco. See this if you ever get the chance. The director is smart enough to get the parallels here between the subject's relationship with his sponsors and Iraq's relationship with the USA.

A nice entertaining movie. Didn't like the character Muthana because he's unappreciative person. The rest of the actors did a good job.

Tries to be a movie about the Iraq/American occupation but ends up being a movie about culture-shock and how ignorant people can be towards its effects...and how Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson maybe one of the coolest mofos on the planet today.

I always wondered how documentary filmmakers can maintain their objectivity and distance to their film subjects especially when huge problems arise and being a good person you would or should want to try and help. This is documentary shows how as a filmmaker you shouldn't get too involved with your subject while filming a documentary and the complications and conflicts it can create. "Good intentions can yield unintended consequences" is a good tagline for this film.

Very uncomfortable story that confronts a social paradox born of the war in Iraq. Should a man be given a unique chance to follow his dreams simply because we destroyed his country? Answer: I thought I knew, but now my head hurts. <br><br>It's so hard to watch this film, but it is such an important piece of work. It had a premise that at first seems inspired- take an Iraqi film student and give him the chance at a career his bombed-out country can no longer provide. How nice, right? You have no idea how wrong you are. This would probably have worked better if they had found the right Iraqi to help. Instead, they find the Iraqi K-Fed and the movie just spirals down into hell. <br><br> The only reason I stand by such a high rating is credited entirely to the filmmaker and her crew. To have the professionalism to see this project through after it goes so horribly astray (and holy crap does it go astray) is commendable. I'd like to see Nina take a break from emotionally challenging filmmaking and make some LOLcats instead.

Kiinnostava dokumentti irakilaisesta elokuvaopiskelijasta ja länsimaisista filantroopeista, jotka järjestävät opiskelijan harjoittelijaksi elokuvan kuvauksiin Eurooppaan. Missä vaiheessa auttaja saa kyllästyä ja sanoa ei, onko dokumentintekijä vastuussa päähenkilöstään, ja kuka hyväksikäyttää ja ketä?

good premise that turns into a human dilemma...whether you like this guy or not and if he'll ever learn a lesson.

A worth watching documentary. Some people have the dream in front of them and they just kick it away...

I'm not sure what I should make of Muthana. Sometimes I feel sorry for him and sometimes he just irritates me. Nevertheless a good documentary. Not the kind of ending you would expect.

An exercise in constant frustration. There are many insightful reviews below, so I won't bother summarizing or critiquing. Or maybe I just don't feel like it b/c I'm still so frustrated! Thanks, as always, to PBS & Independent Lens for the opportunity to watch another engaging documentary.

Very interesting and engaging film. While it is true, it is hard after a while to side with Muthana (the way that the story is presented), what's even more shocking is the way people enable his behavior. For someone so passionate to make something of himself to not do anything about his situation until the last minute and depend on everyone else to do it for him is sad to watch unfold. As an aspiring filmmaker, it is hard to watch someone given everything on a silver platter and spit on it. I think, however, the director makes a rather tacky attempt at a parallel to the war which I feel belittles any attempt allowing Muthana his own story. It is too easy a way out for the filmmaker and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Wow. Pretty incredible stuff. Very personal and compelling.

Exceptional documentary about the clash of cultures told through a young, aspiring Iraqi filmmaker's introduction and relationship with the West. The film is completely engaging and compelling. It brings Muthana from war-torn Iraq to Prague and the set of Liev Schreiber's 'Everything is illuminted' set. It's more than the story of a twenty-something Iraqi man's struggle; it is a story about the US and Iraq, a war and the enormous mixed bag of emotions on both sides of that war. While not always easy to watch - evoking a powerful reactions at numerous points in the film - this is a personal and compelling story that makes you think about all possible outcomes of intervention; whether that be in a person's life or in a country's future.

this incredible documentary has to be seen to be believed. without revealing the subtleties of the plot; muthana is an aspiring iraqi filmmaker who is invited to work on liev schreiber's everything is illuminated. from this film, muthana stays in the czech republic and makes the least of his incredible good fortune by doing the very minimum, trying to ask for favours at every opportunity, lying about the situation in iraq, and coercing money out of anyone he can. it's a dizzying portrait that will have you screaming "WHAT" at the screen a few times.