Occupation: Dreamland (NR)

synopsis

'Occupation: Dreamland' is a melancholy portrait of a squad of the US Army's 82nd Airborne deployed in the doomed Iraqi city of Falluja during the winter of 2004. A collective study of the squad unfolds as they cope with an environment of low-intensity conflict and confusion creeping steadily towards catastrophe. Through the squad's activities, 'Occupation: Dreamland' provides a vital glimpse into the last days of Falluja before a final series of assaults began in the spring of 2004 that effectively destroyed the city. The result is a revealing, sometimes surprising look at Army life, operations and the complexity of American war in the 21st century.