Before Nadia Murad’s Yazidi religious minority village in northern Iraq was raided by ISIS in 2014—the community’s men were killed, including Murad’s brothers, along with many old women and children, while girls and other women were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery—she was a 19-year-old with dreams of one day opening a beauty salon. As viewers witness in director Alexandria Bombach’s wrenching documentary On Her Shoulders, Murad endured three months of torture at the hands of the Islamic State before escaping enslavement. By 2016 she was living in Berlin and touring Europe and North America, a reluctant activist giving countless interviews about sexual enslavement in war, meeting with sympathetic but hamstrung politicians, visiting with Yazidi and other refugee groups, and preparing to address the United Nations General Assembly. This is a painful portrait of greatness thrust upon someone barely in emotional shape to carry the responsibility of telling the world about the Yazidis and atrocities of ISIS. Murad is often breathlessly rushed from one unpromising appointment to another, from a dissatisfying radio conversation to wasteful meet-and-greets with do-nothing officials. Between engagements, Murad (always close to tears) withdraws, at one point curled up in a fetal position in the backseat of a car. Yet somehow her strength rises when she needs it most, and the film powerfully captures the foundational experiences of this future Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who is now a 25-year-old leader in advocacy for victims of genocide. Extras include an interview with the director. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
On Her Shoulders
(2018) 94 min. In Arabic, English & Kurdish w/English subtitles. DVD: $34.95, Blu-ray: $39.95. Oscilloscope (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 3
On Her Shoulders
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