From the debris of the 2019 Iraqi protests, Maja Tschumi has created a beautiful, cinematic monument for its heroes. Immortals is an unusual portrait of a country, a generation and a revolution, featuring two special young protagonists from a modern society where young people now dare to dream, hope and fight.
Immortals begins with a disclaimer: some of the scenes you are about to see have been re-enacted, because they could not be documented, due to danger, censorship or family issues. One of the fine qualities of director Maja Tschumi and her crew (whom she explicitly name-checks at the beginning) is that, within the organic whole that film is, you very quickly forget this disclaimer.
At the core of Immortals are two young partakers in what was called the October Revolution – a huge movement against the stifling system of government that had been implemented after the US invasion of Iraq. The epicentre of that movement – driven by Iraqi youth – was to be found in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square where the protesters had gathered in a make-shift village.
In the first of three chapters, Hidden Battles, we are introduced to Milo, who tells how she came to dress up as a boy. Only then was she allowed to move around in peace on the streets of Baghdad and to be part of the protests at Tahrir Square. Her participation in the uprising quickly ends when her family finds out. She is locked up in the parental home: her clothes and documents are burned, her identity erased. Tschumi films how, years after, Milo, in her concealing men’s clothes, takes a tuktuk to the house where she cooks with her best friend. These are simple but beautifully filmed images that give immediate insight into what it means to be a woman – precisely because of the obvious ease with which Milo is able move around the streets as a man. No questions asked, no harrassment.
The second chapter, Confrontations, is for the character Khalili and consists largely of the footage he shot himself as a novice filmmaker. His self-narrated introduction is accompanied by a surprising commercial he made about socks. The garments are a simple product that take on deep meaning through Khalili’s lens and eyes where they represent the attitude, strength and independence of a young generation looking to throw off the yoke of the ruling system. He captures the mood of the crowd, courageous, relentless, proud and unified, and does so in sweeping movements across and above the square, zooming in on the faces and letting the protesters express their emotions.
Tschumi boasts of Khalili’s impressive footage of the protests in central Baghdad. The young man ventured into the heart of the revolution, his life at risk and filmed on until he literally fell down. The camera continued to film after Khalili was hit by enemy fire so that as a viewer you suffer along with the wounded Khalili – who won’t give up filming even after sustaining serious injuries.
In the third chapter, Decisions, the protagonists make heartfelt decisions about their lives after the revolution has been bloodily crushed by the government. Milo decides she wants to leave Iraq, while Khalili marries and has children but still, despite the risks involved, decides to take up the camera again as a weapon against injustice. It is a powerful chapter about impossible dilemmas, choices between family and freedom, responsibility for those around you versus a deeper-seated desire for justice.
The wonderfully accomplished thing about Immortals is that it takes you in like a suspenseful feature film, while none of it feels in any way ‘played.’ The fears, anger, tension and determination are rendered palpable through the screen. This, of course, has everything to do with the two fantastic main characters, who have been willing to expose themselves on camera. And also with Khalili’s amazing footage that fits seamlessly into the mood and aesthetic of Tschumi’s own images. Or perhaps she adapted her style to his.
Immortals is an unusual portrait of a country, a generation, a revolution and two very special young people. It presents a picture at odds with what we normally see – we now get to see a modern society where young people dare to dream, hope and fight. Also a place where people come face to face with death every day, but which does not seem to deter them. Tschumi, Milo and Khalili are combatants within an ongoing struggle that seems to have been forgotten, or overshadowed by bloodshed in ‘more important’ parts of the world. This is what makes the film such a crucial document that, through its beauty and sincerity, will have a profound impact on viewers.
Switzerland/Iraq, 2024, 94 minutes
Director Maja Tschumi
Script Maja Tschumi, Mohammed Al Khalili, Melak Madhi (Milo)
Camera Silvio Gerber, Mohammed Al Khalili
Editor Alex Bakri
Music Manouk Roussyalian
Sound Design Kurt Human, Julian Joseph
Produced by Nadine Lüchinger
Producers Flavio Gerber Azra Djurdjevic
World Sales CATS&Docs
