I thought I knew what to expect when I heard our office movie was going to be "Heavy Metal in Baghdad". I'll admit it--I'm suffering heavily from war-coverage burnout, and to sit through two hours of war and political propoganda did not hold any appeal.
The film surprised me. It was largely non-political, and seemed intent on telling the story of Arracussidia, Baghdad's only heavy metal band to date. The film put a human face on the Iraqi civilians caught in the midst of war. The passion of the band for their music and for their country was moving, to say the least.
The hardships Arracussidia had to overcome to play just six shows (over the course of several years!), and the risks that both they and their fans took really gave perspective to our freedoms we take for granted. We balk at a $15 ticket, when really we should be amazed we even have the option of going to see a band at all.
For so many of us, music is just something to put on when we are at work or cleaning the house to make the day go a little faster. For these Iraqi's, it was truly the tangible manifestations of hope and freedom.