Movie Review: "Marooned in Iraq"

This 2003 release by Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi revolves around the adventures of an elderly Kurdish singer named Mirza and his two musician sons, Barat and Audeh. Mirza persuades his sons to accompany him on a trip from his Iranian village to search for his ex-wife, Hanereh, who is lanaguishing in an Iraqi refugee camp. The journey is fraught with numerous conflict and personal loss, but is not bereft of comedy. The first hour of the film is quite comical. The last portion of the story is bleak and heavy on stark symbolism.