Movie In "Immortals", two young people in Iraq defend their dreams
Milo (right) sneaks out of the house in men's clothing and meets up with her girlfriend. Both dream of freedom.
Image: Keystone
"Immortals" shows the protests and brutal clashes in Baghdad in 2019 through the lens of protagonist and cameraman Khalili.
Image: Keystone
Milo (right) sneaks out of the house in men's clothing and meets up with her girlfriend. Both dream of freedom.
Image: Keystone
"Immortals" shows the protests and brutal clashes in Baghdad in 2019 through the lens of protagonist and cameraman Khalili.
Image: Keystone
In her documentary "Immortals", Swiss filmmaker Maja Tschumi paints a touching and visually powerful portrait of two young people in Baghdad. The political film has a chance of winning the "Prix de Soleure" at the Solothurn Film Festival.
23.01.2025, 10:30
23.01.2025, 10:31
SDA
Only at second glance do you realize that it is not a young man who is hiding under the hygiene mask and cap, but a woman in her early twenties. Milo wears her hair short and walks through the Iraqi capital in loose clothing. Some time ago, she realized that when she is perceived as a man, she enjoys privileges that she is denied as a woman. "Whenever I have to behave like a man, I hate myself," Milo's voice is heard off-screen. "Because I'm proud to be a woman. But I'm forced to. So that I can live as a woman."
Milo is one of the two main characters in the film "Immortals" by Zurich and Berlin-based filmmaker Maja Tschumi. The documentary captures the mood after the Iraqi protests of 2019 and 2020. Young protesters set up entire tent cities, one of them on Tahrir Square in Baghdad. Among other things, they called for an end to corruption, unemployment and interference from other countries.
Sometimes atmospheric, sometimes harrowing
Retrospective footage from the tent city on Tahrir Square conveys an atmosphere of optimism. A hopeful future seemed within reach. But now - we are in the year 2022 - there is hardly any sign of it. Milo paid a high price for her participation in the protests. Her family burned her passport. She was imprisoned by her father for a year. It is clear to Milo that she will not find freedom here. Together with her friend, the feminist Milo dreams of a life somewhere else. And although the two are angry and sometimes sad about the many grievances, the intimate encounters create atmospheric images - without falling into inappropriate kitsch.
Shooting of "Immortals" began in spring 2022 and lasted a year. The film is divided into three chapters, the second of which tells us about Khalili. The young man recorded life in the tents and the protests, sometimes with several cameras at the same time. His footage is also included in the documentary. It shows harrowing images of clashes with the police and excessive violence.
Tschumi wrote the documentary together with the two main characters. In the third chapter, both are shown facing important decisions about their future. However, they never meet in the film.
Two visual languages
With "Immortals", Maja Tschumi has created an engaging portrait of two young people who represent an entire generation longing for freedom. The documentary also invites us to reflect on the medium of film and its role in exceptional political circumstances. Khalili is also filmed while filming. Although his visual language is different to that of cameraman Silvio Berger, the combination does not clash.
The opening credits announce that some scenes have been re-enacted. This impression is left by the first part of the film in particular, which revolves around the rebellious Milo. This raises questions when it is not clear which conversations and events have been staged. However, it does not diminish the importance of the scenes for the movie.
"Immortals" will be shown on Friday and Monday at the Solothurn Film Festival, celebrating its Swiss premiere. It opens in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland on April 17. It has been nominated for the "Prix de Soleure", which is endowed with 60,000 francs. This is aimed at films with humanistic or socially critical content.
