Baghdad Central

Review by: Shannon MacColl
Review by: Simona Selvaggi

The short:

The U.S. occupation of Iraq has come and a former police inspector under Saddam Hussein’s regime must now figure out how to care for his daughters while being recruited by U.S. and British intelligence in this new time. The Sky short series is a thriller consisting of six episodes that follow the story of a former policeman investigating his daughter’s disappearance.

The long:

The story takes place in Baghdad in 2003 after Saddam Hussein’s fall. In that period the U.S.-led coalition was in the city and established a Green Zone. While the protagonist of the series tries to find his daughter, who was an employee of the Green Zone, the series gives an accurate explanation of the historical background and the intra-sectarian political rivalry in the country.

The series follows Muhsin al-Khafaji, a former police inspector under Sadam Hussein, as foreign powers invade Iraq in 2003. Having lost his wife to illness and handed over his son (unwillingly) for execution under Hussein’s regime, he contends with how to keep his two daughters, Sawsan and Mrouj, safe during these times. However, Sawsan is missing, working with the American’s only to become disillusioned and join militia groups within Iraq to protect its freedom. While Mrouj is in desperate need of medical care, Muhsin is mistakenly abducted and tortured by the U.S. military and eventually recruited by a British agent, Frank Temple, to do police work. Muhsin only agrees to access the lifesaving medical care for Mrouj and to gain access to resources that may help him locate Sawsan, but along the way, he discovers the hidden and violent world of human trafficking taking place within these forces. He is determined to find his daughter and bring about justice during these unsettling times.

To watch or not to watch:

Watch! This series provides an interesting take that helps the viewer to more fully understand the story of Iraq and leaves viewers with bated breaths till the very end.

Watch it. It is a perspective very rarely seen in Western media of just how life-altering the invasion into Iraq was for the Iraqi people. It also adds nuance to the different factions at play that are often jumbled together when reported on. The gray space that Baghdad Central explores of conflict between home, justice, and what the future may hold is done astonishingly well and is well worth watching.