Occupation: Dreamland (2005)

Occupation: Dreamland (2005)
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In early 2004, filmmakers Ian Olds and Garrett Scott traveled to the Iraqi city of Fallujah and spent several months with the men of the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division as they patrolled the community and attempted to ferret out supporters of the nation's previous regime. As the weeks wore on, Olds and Scott found that a number of the soldiers whom they were "embedded" with were having serious doubts about their mission; while many were still firmly committed to the U.S. military effort, others began wondering out loud what purpose their presence served and if they were accomplishing any good at all. The American soldiers were also uneasy with their status as peacekeepers when they were trained to be warriors, a point that became moot when tensions in Fallujah erupted into violence over a year after "major combat operations" had supposedly come to an end in Iraq. Occupation: Dreamland is a documentary drawn from the footage Olds and Scott shot while in Iraq, and attempts to paint a picture of the larger conflict in Iraq as well as the lives of the men who serve there. The film received its North American premiere at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Director(s):
Garrett ScottIan Olds, (more)
Format(s):
DVD,  (View All Versions)
 

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Synopsis of Occupation: Dreamland

In early 2004, filmmakers Ian Olds and Garrett Scott traveled to the Iraqi city of Fallujah and spent several months with the men of the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division as they patrolled the community and attempted to ferret out supporters of the nation's previous regime. As the weeks wore on, Olds and Scott found that a number of the soldiers whom they were "embedded" with were having serious doubts about their mission; while many were still firmly committed to the U.S. military effort, others began wondering out loud what purpose their presence served and if they were accomplishing any good at all. The American soldiers were also uneasy with their status as peacekeepers when they were trained to be warriors, a point that became moot when tensions in Fallujah erupted into violence over a year after "major combat operations" had supposedly come to an end in Iraq. Occupation: Dreamland is a documentary drawn from the footage Olds and Scott shot while in Iraq, and attempts to paint a picture of the larger conflict in Iraq as well as the lives of the men who serve there. The film received its North American premiere at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Complete Cast of Occupation: Dreamland


Director(s):
Garrett ScottIan Olds
Producer(s):
Nancy RothSelina Lewis DavidsonGarrett Scott
Categories:
Documentary
Occupation: Dreamland Awards:
  • 2005 - Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award
  • 2005 - Independent Spirit Awards - Truer Than Fiction Award
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Member Reviews (7)

 
Lance M.

I thought this movie was ok. When I saw that the Sundance channel had a part in making this film, I sort of knew what to expect. The film seems to paint most of the soldiers as poor dropouts who had nowhere to go. In an introduction to one of the soldiers he says he dropped out in 9th grade which I found to be a bit off since the military doesn't take dropouts. You later learn that this person was actually in college before joining up. I also thought they could have gotten the perspectives of more soldiers than the ones they interviewed. It seemed to me that they gave more airtime to soldiers who were against the war than the ones who were for it. I'd be interested to compare and contrast this documentary from one that was made more recently to see how opinions may have changed.

Yes   |   No

 
James V.

OCCUPATION: DREAMLAND encompasses all attitudes toward the current war in Iraq, which proves its saving grace as well as its undoing. It's certainly better than nothing, which is what our government provides by denying us the chance to see anything except pre-digested, shock-and-awe twaddle. If the soldiers shown here seem a little tentative in their attitude and talk, not to mention their maneuvers, why not? They knew they were being filmed. But by taking no stand for or against anything, the filmmakers come down squarely on the fifty yard line, which will do no one any good. While we might all agree that any soldier or filmmaker who goes to Iraq is brave on some level, well--so were, on some level, the Germans soldiers in WWII who invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia. Real perspective and a real sense of history are desperately needed before we all--protesting our goodness, of course--fall into the abyss.

Yes   |   No

 
Thomas J.

The film made it look like most of the soldiers were poor, dropouts who are undereducated. These soldiers are the real thing, but the opinion was limited to just the negative side and totally ignored any other perspective. One sided and an obvious ploy to show only one point of view being true and backed by facts. We might also think that perhaps the younger and lower ranking soldiers might not always have the answers or the facts. I like a balanced perspective and not just someone’s opinion dressed as fact.

Yes   |   No

 
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