The ancient land between the Tigris and Euphrates, known historically as Mesopotamia, is now a flash point between Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Traditionally, it was presumed that a dispute over oil would ignite a war here. Now it seems that water will be the key to war or peace.

A French journalist took two years exploring this ruggedly beautiful and troubled part of the world. He wanted to see the aftermath of the Iran/Iraqi and the Gulf Wars. How had the wars affected the people, and what had been won or lost in the conflicts? In village after village, defying the censorship of the military, he probes the inhabitants about their memories, their lives, and their views on Saddam Hussein, the Arab world, and the West. What emerges is a picture of a people living on the edge, impoverished by war, hounded by the military, and in the case of the Kurds, betrayed by the West during their uprising against Saddam. The Tears of Mesopotamia allows one to feel the plight of ordinary people caught in political and economic circumstances out of control. An important film for Westerners who have little access to this part of the world.

Middle East Studies Association, 2000