Occupation: Dreamland Brings Falluja to Your Home
Olds is the recipient of the 2005 Princess Grace Award, and he will receive his MFA from Columbia University’s film division later this year. He previously edited and co-wrote “Cul de Sac: A Suburban War Story,” which was a success at the Sundance Film Festival, and later aired on television. Olds directed a short narrative film, “Two Men,” which was a Denis Johnson short story. The film premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2005.
“Dreamland” is in the form of a first-hand documentary and takes place in Falluja during the winter of 2004. The film follows a day in the life of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. It is a politically balanced epic, and allows for those who are rarely heard to talk about the war in Iraq. It is the voice of the soldier.
The story slowly unfolds as conflict rises and catastrophes occur. The film provides a look into the streets of Falluja before the city is stricken by terror. It looks at the deteriorating security in the city before it is destroyed with an influx of radical military assaults during the spring of 2004.
Olds and his partner, Garrett Scott, had access to many of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division operations. They lived with the division, which allowed them to hear the voice of soldiers. “Dreamland” portrays a view of “The Complexity of American War in the 21st Century.”
The men began their journey by flying to Jordan and having a three-day stay with the army. They had no military training but preferred to follow a small squad. There are many reasons the soldiers joined the army, which the movie explores. “I didn’t know what I want to do with my life I had no goals… so I joined the army,” One of the soldiers said. Another soldier of the 82nd Airborne Division spoke of his problems in civilian life.
“I got real depressed and didn’t have any money so I decided to join the army,” he said.
While the soldiers were in Falluja, they began to have hard feelings about the army, and the United States’ presence in Iraq. As one soldier said, “One guy going out and shaking hands ain’t gonna change anything.”
He was not alone and many others felt the same way.
“I don’t think we’ve made any progress in Falluja”, said another soldier. “Why help them if they hate us.”
As one of the soldiers told Olds, “You get tired waking up and seeing your buddy’s ass in your face.”
Not every minute in Falluja was full of bloodshed. The soldiers had time to talk amongst themselves.
“I kinda enjoy getting shot at. It makes it more interesting,” said another soldier. “The Middle East may have been known for their great math, but it’s a shithole here.”
After the movie, there was a question and answer session.
“We should just pull out, it is a civil war, and right now it’s a disaster,” Olds said. A student asked Olds if he wanted to go back, and in a very clear voice he replied “I do not.”
Not everyone liked the film. Olds said that when higher-ranking officers in the military saw the film they were “less than enthusiastic,” but when Olds showed the film to the soldiers, they agreed with almost everything in the film.
Olds plans to show the film to politicians and senators, and to speak the truth as he sees it about the War in Iraq. By living with the squad, Olds said that he now “understands the frustrations of the soldiers.”
“The film showed a side that needed to be seen by the American people,” said Dan, an SSU graduate student.
For more information go to http://www.occupationdreamland.com/ .
