Prisoner of War 57187

Vahid Zara Zade's short documentary focuses on an Iraqi engineer-turned-soldier who was taken as a prisoner of war during his country's 1980–88 war with Iran. Incarcerated at a military detention camp inside Iran, the former P.O.W. remained in the country after the fighting ended and now serves as an unofficial curator for a museum at the camp. His work is hampered by an obvious lack of financial support, so he has to create many of the exhibits by hand, and he admits that his efforts aren't particularly appreciated (he acknowledges that school groups and tourists visiting the museum seem indifferent, while Iranian soldiers still stationed at the site spend most of their time goofing off rather than assisting him with its upkeep). The man speaks at length about how each P.O.W. was referred to strictly by a number during incarceration, but whether intentionally or not, we never learn the man's full identity, nor does he explain why he declined to return to Iraq when other prisoners were repatriated. Prisoner of War 57187 incorporates archival video footage of Iraqi soldiers held captive in Iran, but never goes into depth about what daily life was like for them. Still, as a brief portrait of an enigmatic personality who strives to preserve a piece of Iraqi (and Iranian) history, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)