Nowhere to Hide

Much of Zaradasht Ahmed's devastating PBS-aired documentary was filmed by its subject: Nori Sharif, an engaging Iraqi medic, who viewers first see in 2011 working in the emergency section at Jalawla Central Hospital in Diyala. On the director's suggestion, Sharif takes a camera with him wherever he goes. Since the American invasion in 2003, Sharif notes, the nature of the injuries he treats has changed. His patients include citizens who have lost limbs, experienced paralysis, or suffered other injuries that have adversely affected their ability to earn a living and provide for their families, but Sharif feels hopeful when the coalition troops begin to withdraw. "To be independent is a beautiful thing," he says, but the departure leads to an increase in violence and corruption, including car bombs, sniper fire, and beheadings. The situation worsens when Shiite militia members force out most of the hospital staff. In 2014, when ISIS seizes the town, Sharif and his family—including his wife and four children—flee Diyala. With nowhere else to go, they move into an abandoned school with 20 other families, but when the shelling becomes too intense, they hit the road again, ending up in a Sa'ad refugee camp. By 2015, Sharif remains cautiously hopeful, despite all that he has seen and experienced. His first-hand documentation of a country destabilized by destructive forces from within and without deserves a wide audience. Including both the full-length version and an abridged classroom edition, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)