Occupation [DVD]

Occupation chronicles the lives of 3 soldiers once they've returned from the war in Basra in 2003. While in Basra, Sergeant Mike Swift (James Nesbitt) fell in love with an Iraqi doctor and despite being a married father of two, he can't cut her loose; Corporal Danny Peterson (Stephen Graham) is falling to pieces back in Manchester - he's taking drugs, seeing prostitutes, losing control and has received an offer that will give him direction while earning him a fortune; Lance Corporal Lee Hibbs (Warren Brown), despite returning to a loving family, feels such a burden to help the Iraqi people find their feet. And so for very different reasons, they all go back.

You don't need to be a fan of war movies to watch this... another reviewer compared it to Warriors, and the comparison is absolutely on point. Neither glamorise war and both show what it is: a filthy, heart-breaking, evil reality where good and bad become interchangeable and if people manage to skate along the surface of the grime and the death without drowning in it, they are the blessed minority.

Occupation takes place over the space of 4 years, and it shows the way in which war changes people. Soldiers, the family of soldiers, an Iraqi teen - it shows how the war festers inside them and fundamentally re-shapes who they are. So when you find yourself furious at someone, a single line they utter at the end stops you short and you realise as viewers, we just have no right to pass judgement or comment.

The person that represents "us" throughout the film is Hibbs's sister. She condemns the war with all the confidence of someone who will never have to go there; she speaks of mercenaries with all the disdain of someone who is safe in the UK and, the truth is, who of us hasn't done the same? It left me feeling a little ashamed of my presuming to opine on things I've no knowledge or experience of, when others are losing their lives.

Occupation isn't a polemic, however. It is neither pro- nor anti-war, and in a world where polemics are the norm, it's almost unheard of that a film about something so huge wouldn't be either left- or right-leaning. But that's entirely its strength. It doesn't seek to explain the reasons for the war; it doesn't attempt to dissect the morality of the war - it simply shows us that, on both sides, it's about the people. We can talk about "the war" now without blinking an eye - it's natural to become desensitised to it after years of it - but Occupation reminds us that, here and now, there are people living and dying over there, and that's all that matters.

What's more, it is impeccably cast and acted, the cinematography is Oscar-worthy, the score is beautiful, and it is emotionally devastating, all of which makes it a remarkable film. A decade after it was made, I still think back to Warriors, and Occupation will be no different.

It was only a matter of time before the Invasion of Iraq was mined by British TV as the basis for a drama. The worry being that something of that ilk would be inaccurate and exploitative. Thankfully Occupation, shown on BBC1 over three consecutive nights , is well written and powerful , showing that the invasion was not all about TV pyrotechnics and dodgy dossiers but about real people doing unforgiving jobs in extreme circumstances.
The narrative follows the vice like grip the country takes on three British soldiers after a tour of duty in Basra( It was shot in Morocco) following the initial allied invasion in 2003 . Mike ( James Nesbitt ) meets and falls in love with an Iraqi doctor-Aliyah (Lubna Azabal)- which would be fine if he was single but he is a married man with two children. Danny ( Stephen Graham ) is a pill popping alcohol swilling jack the lad. Iraq to him offers the chance to make money in cahoots with urbane American .Security work guarding potential developers of post-war Iraq leads to them bidding for construction work of new hospitals . Hibbs ( Warren Brown )genuinely wants to help the Iraqi people make a better life for themselves and feels driven to return to the country by altruism and his nagging conscience.
The Iraqi conflict is shown to be devastating on numerous levels. As well as tearing Iraq apart ,economically , structurally and in societal terms the different agenda's rends the three men apart psychologically with Mike especially paying a heavy price. At the end of the drama the three men clad in funeral suits sat staring with looks of almost abject shock seem to be a metaphor for the way the war tore the Iraq people into factions.
Peter Bowkers drama highlights how Iraq became a cash cow for voracious Western businessmen .Indeed this was the hook for the drama that drove him to write it in the first place Whether providing security( for that see mercenaries) or re-building the infrastructure( only for it to be blown up again ) Iraq is shown to be awash with dollars .although none of it is going to help the indigenous people of the country. This is disaster capitalism ( see Naomi Klein's book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism ) at it's most insidious and rapacious .
Although the script relies on a couple of contrivances -the romance between Mike and Aliya while beautifully done feels out of place and Mikes son joining the Army seems tacked on to bring the big emotional finale - it draws the parallel experiences of the three men together well. The choice of music jars occasionally as well though I did nod appreciatively at the use of Pink Floyds The Gunners Dream (2004 Digital Remaster) ( from the brilliant The Final Cut album ) for one scene.
What really elevates Occupation is the monumentally emotional clout of the production whole aided it must be vigorously said by some outstanding performances. It's rare to see something where all the cast absolutely nail their roles .James Nesbit is so good that I will have trouble accepting him as anyone other than the emotionally wrought Mike and Stephen Graham is a consummate mix of edgy and sympathetic as the complex and disturbed Danny while Warren Brown just bleeds pathos as the compassionate Hibbs. Mentions must go too to Nonso Anozie as Danny's business partner Lester and Monica Dolanas Mikes wife Nicky .Both give tremendous supporting performances. I also loved Lubna Azabal as Aliyah who gives a superb nuanced performance radiating intelligence and vulnerability not to mention a certain smouldering sexiness. Her performance , as well as James Nesbitts gives their fledgling romance real much needed integrity.
Occupation has an agenda but puts across the message with an intelligent character driven story rather than some hysterical piece of polemic. Anyone doubting Britain's ability to produce high quality drama really should see this( Unforgiven [DVD] [2009] shown earlier this year was excellent as well ) We just don't do it often enough .Occupation , though deserves to sit with the stunning Warriors [1999] [Dutch Import] [DVD] as a war drama concentrating on the impact of a horrible conflict on the ordinary men who have to fight them .Praise does not come any higher than that.

This is an extremely well-written, well-executed piece of drama with an outstanding cast on top form. The characters feel real and are sympathetic even when they're making serious errors of judgement. The plot holds your interest and makes you care. What more do you need to know? I love it when there's a great bit of TV drama to watch and this is one I'd definitely recommend.