Daily grind

An intimate view of Iraq brings hardships closer | Priya Abraham

When news from Iraq seems like a barrage of mortality reports, portraits of ordinary Iraqis can be refreshing and much more educational. In My Country, My Country, filmmaker Laura Poitras manages to be both. Her documentary follows one Iraqi man, Dr. Riyadh, in the months leading up to the groundbreaking January 2005 elections.

Riyadh, a father of six, practices medicine in Baghdad's rough Ahmadiyah neighborhood, volunteering at a clinic. He is also running for election to a local seat on the Governate Council of Baghdad.

Riyadh is a Sunni, and fiercely against the U.S. presence in Iraq. But he seems equally convinced that only elections can rectify the problem, allowing a civil outlet for Iraqis. On a medical visit to prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, he says in exasperation to inmates complaining of long detentions, "We are an occupied country with a puppet government. What do you expect?"