Once Upon a Time in
Iraq offers an in-depth look at lives devastated by conflict, as director James Bluemel and Waleed Nesyif – who was 18 when the US invaded – tell Remona Aly
Um Qusay, dressed in a black, sequined abaya and hijab, takes a slow drag on her cigarette as she recalls the execution of Iraqi men in her village who tried to assassinate their president. A Rambo-esque former US marine readies himself with a swig of tequila before sharing his violent tale.
Once Upon a Time in Iraq, a new documentary series airing on
BBC Two from tonight, conveys the complex road to the Iraq war through the eyes of civilians, journalists and soldiers, 17 years on from an invasion that has fractured the world.