Embedded / Live (2005)

Embedded / Live (2005) is a clever, chaotic, and unsettling dramatization of the invasion of “Gommorah,” an oil-rich rogue state governed by the tyrannical “Butcher of Babylon.” This film serves as a biting satire of the neo-conservative administration’s approach to the Iraq War and the media's role in covering it. At its core, the film pays tribute to the brave individuals who risked and sacrificed their lives. Director Tim Robbins shares his vision: “In May of 2003, I channeled my anger to tell the story of our reckless neo-conservative administration’s march to war, the failure of our press, who acted more like courtesans, and the tragedy that results when young men and women are asked to engage violently with strangers in a hostile land. Embedded / Live (2005) began as a play, first performed in a small theatre in Los Angeles in July 2003. The response was intense and immediate, with laughter that was both nervous and angry. It was not critical acclaim that led to the filming but rather the negative reviews, the hostile attacks from the media establishment, the soldier crying in my arms in the theatre lobby, the people who traveled 1,000 miles to see it, the audience discussions after the play, and the encouragement of war correspondents returned from Iraq. They gave us the mandate to perform and to film it. Is it theatre? Is it a film? Documentary? I don’t know. What I do know is that it is a moment captured. Now, after almost 1,000 Americans and 25,000 Iraqi civilians have died, after our actions have increased recruitment for terrorist groups worldwide and alienated our most trusted Allies, now that our press finally reports what we could read two years ago in the alternative press and British newspapers, now is the time for American artists to tell truth to power. Whether through satire, documentaries, pop songs or films, whether these stories are seen by many or ignored, now is the time to testify, to stand up and be counted.” -Tim Robbins-