I went to this movie as part of an event put on by the Jordanian Embassy. I had no idea what we were going to watch. Didn't read anything about it beforehand. And to be honest, went begrudgingly. I was in for a very pleasant surprise.The movie is beautifully done, and made me cry towards the end. I'm not one of those girls who likes sappy movies, and usually find myself critiquing movies instead of watching them. I didn't during this one.I think the beauty of this movie comes from the fact that it feels like a novel. It's smooth, beautiful, and although carries no groundbreaking messages or revelations, it touches your heart. You want to see it, you want it to go on. The kids in the movie melted my heart, and Nadim Sawalha offered a fantastic performance. While I myself don't particularly care for the lead female actress, she did a decent job.Overall, I would ignore the negativity and controversy over it being or not being the first independent film out of Jordan. To those who keep arguing about that, why don't you start supporting the good that comes out of Jordan, and stop arguing over anything and everything. It was a very good movie, and in many way representative of the Jordan I knew and grew up in. To those of you who enjoy movies with gorgeous scenery and an element of hope and faith in everyday human relationships, watch it.I guarantee you one thing, go with an open mind, and you will not regret seeing this movie.

This movie is a great one on several levels: 1- It depicts the life in Amman Jordan in a very real way: the difference between the poor (eastern) and rich (western) sides of the city very well. The nostalgic aspects of Amman downtown - the roman ruins everywhere, the stairs, the groups of kids running around ... This is one aspect never found in any previous Jordanian movies.2- The movie has very capable actors - very expressive faces. The kids in the movie are supposedly 1st time actors, gathered from refugee camps in Jordan. That is AMAZING. They truly acted so natural.3- amazing soundtrack - the music score adds so much to the emotional scenes - yet, it remains transparent. Perfect combination.4- the story is very nice, global, humanistic, 3rd world concerns (child employment, familial violence, poverty, class segregation, etc.) I think the story could have been better: I wish it had more depth, I wish the problems presented are not so "cliche". Child employment and familial violence are problems that usually 1st world people "project" on 3rd world countries. However, if you ask 3rd world people about it, chances are they are at the bottom of the list. Not because they are not important, but because there are so many other more pressing problems, AND, because they often tend to be symptoms of poverty & ignorance.I wish the author has picked a problem where right and wrong are actually much harder to decide. The movie seemed a bit long even at 1.5 hours.I also wish the movie got faster.. the introduction, and I would say the first 60 minutes of the movie were perfect. The director was preparing the stage for the plot very nicely. However, after 60 minutes, one would expect the movie to pick up speed and not remain very "dreamy" like. The plot came very quickly.Overall, great job director Matalqa. I am looking forward for his future movies.

First of all the film Captain Abu Raed is unexceptional. I am also one of those people who have to take into consideration the director behind the film. I am disappointed with Amin Matalqa's reply to a comment by Elia.Mr. Matalqa claims his film is Jordanian because it's 100% Jordanian funded. Does that mean other Jordanian films who were denied funding by local Jordanian sources because they don't have Mr. Matalqa's connections that those films are not Jordanian films? Famous Jordanian director Mahmoud Massad, maker of the award-wining documentary Recycle (winner of Sundance World Cinematography Award) did not receive a penny of support in Jordan. So he won a few funding competitions at the Berlinale World Cinema Fund and San Sebastian. Mr. Matalqa wants to tell us that Mr. Mahmoud Massad's film is not Jordanian. That's fantastic. So all a third world regime has to do is to make laws forbidding funding for filmmakers they don't like and that makes these black-listed films foreign films? I am glad film festivals do not go by Mr. Matalqa's definition of a national film.Then Mr. Matalqa attacks Najdat Anzour's film Oriental Tale (1991) accusing it of not being a Jordanian film because Mr. Anzour is not Jordanian. But the actors and the script and the shooting location are Jordanians. And by the way, Najdat Anzour has the Jordanian passport. That makes him Jordanian as well as Syrian.But even if the film follows the nationality of the filmmaker, does that mean all of Roman Polanski's films are French or Polish? There are other Hollywood filmmakers who are not American. Yet there films classify as Americans. Mr. Matalqa wants to change all of that just for his film's sake and to exclude other Jordanian films and filmmakers from the spot light. Too drastic.Mr. Matalqa claims that because a film is French funded, that it's not Jordanian. That means 90% of films made in the third world are French or German or Italian films? What about countries that can't afford to fund films. What about repressive regimes who ban funding for filmmakers critical of the status quo? It would be a great day for repression if Mr. Matalqa gets his way with his new funding criteria and national identity.As for the Jordanian feature film the Mission (2007), again Mr. Matalqa insults the filmmakers by making fantastic statements as to why his film is still number one. He says "The Mission was filmed in July 2007, one month after Captain Abu Raed" So? it was screened before Captain Abu Raed in Jordan. This must be a new role where the film's year of production is decided by the day the camera starts rolling for the first time."and was never released in cinemas nor festivals." Another bizarre rule Mr. Matalqa invented. Many films screen in art houses and cultural centers and not paid commercial theaters. They still count as films. They still exist. The Mission is a film that was made and screened in Jordan in more than one cultural center under the patronage of royalty. It's a real film."I also understand it was shot with TV video cameras" Again, Mr. Matalqa denigrates the film because of the limited means of the filmmaker. We know of films that had won international acclaim that shot with a simple video camera. That's the whole idea behind Dogme 95 and other film-making schools. Even Oliver Stone used a TV video camera to make some of his great films.Mr. Matalqa is so eager to monopolize the spotlight that he is willing to hurt so many other filmmakers and to change the whole international system by which films are classified and judged. Wouldn't be much easier to make a good film and leave us to decide? I hope Mr. Matalqa changes his stance instead of digging deeper and deeper and offending more and more people.It's all about the quality of the film. So give it a rest Mr. Matalqa.

I saw this movie at Sundance 2008 and was thrilled to learn that it was showing at the AFI Film Festival in Dallas. I didn't hesitate for a second to buy a 2nd ticket! Once it's released in theaters, I'll be purchasing my third ticket and insisting that my friends attend with me. We were lucky enough to hear the director speak at both showings which added so much to the experience. Learning that most of the children were cast from children who were living in a refugee camp was quite surprising. The performances of the children were first rate. Nadim Sawalha who played Captain Abu Raed was outstanding as well. In addition, the backdrop for the movie - Amman - was magical. This movie is a must see!