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Son of Babylon Movie Review

Son of Babylon is a 2010 Iraqi drama film directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji and starring Shazada Hussein and Yasser Talib. It’s a very sweet, wonderful movie.

The film is set initially in Northern Iraq, 2003, two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Ahmed, a 12-year-old boy begrudgingly follows his grandmother. On hearing news that prisoners of war have been found alive in the South, she is determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed’s father, who never returned from the Gulf war in 1991. From the mountains of Kurdistan to the sands of Babylon, they hitch rides from strangers and cross paths with fellow pilgrims. Ahmed follows in the forgotten footsteps of a father he never knew.

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Just the story itself is so emotional, but the execution is just as strong as it isn’t really manipulative, but genuinely sweet and touching. The movie wouldn’t work twice as much hadn’t it been for the two amazing central performances from Talib and Hussein. Yes, even the child is excellent while the actress carries most of the movie on her very capable shoulders.

Their dynamic is the heart of the film and the best reason to see it. Loving yet playful, I loved their conversations and games. Easily the best part of the movie are just the scenes with the two as the other travelers that they meet along the way aren’t as well developed as they should have been. Also, the ending wasn’t quite as strong nor as memorable as I would have hoped.

Son of Babylon is superbly directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, one of the most renowned directors of Iraq, and it’s easy to see why he’s so respected. His work here is professional, evocative, handled with care for the people it portrays and even quite epic despite its limited scale.

Yes, while the overall story sounds simple and it is rather simplistic, the movie managed to become genuinely adventurous and big due to the many different vistas that we get to see from jungles all the way to the deserts. The cinematography is strikingly superb as the movie is light and gorgeous to behold while the score and editing are also fine. The pacing, though, could have been better as the mid section did lag a bit.

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Son of Babylon is simplistic in its small-scope narrative, but so gorgeously shot in its vistas that it still felt highly cinematic. The movie’s story is quite emotional while never being too manipulative. The acting is fantastic while the direction is excellent throughout. The mid section lagged a bit, but most of the movie was engaging and quite sweet.

My Rating – 4