ISIS (or Daesh or the Islamic State) often seems like a monstrous evil. I’m not saying it isn’t, but it is made up of people. Rojek, from filmmaker Zaynê Akyol, gives us a chance to meet some of these people. They provide an interesting insight into the mindset that has led to so much death and suffering. Rojek is Canada’s official submission for Best Foreign Feature. It is also seeking consideration for Best Documentary Feature.
Akyol, who is of Kurdish origin and immigrated to Canada with her family as a child, has a personal investment in this film. In a previous film, she met many Kurdish women who were fighting for Kurdish freedom. With the rise of ISIS, most of them were killed. Akyol wants to understand what happened and how people could do such things. It is, for her, a way of working through grief.
Syrian and US forces have freed most of Syrian Kurdistan from ISIS control. In the process, many ISIS fighters have been imprisoned. Their wives and children live in detention camps that they cannot leave. Akyol has developed trust and access to meet with some of these fighters and women to hear their stories.
Along the way, we learn of the beginnings of the organization. We hear how people were recruited and indoctrinated. They tell us of the pictures of paradise they believe awaits jihadist like themselves. We discover that some would have liked to leave. In fact, we learn that some of them were trying to reach Turkey to go to their embassies to be repatriated to their home countries. Others remain true to the cause of establishing an Islamic Caliphate.
Interspersed with these interviews are images of Syria in the aftermath of the war. We see Kurdish Syrian forces who continue to try to keep the land safe from terrorism. We also see several scenes of burning fields—arsons that have been set destroying crops. As the fields burn we see a few people trying to beat out the flames, but it seem impossible to put out the fires. Those images serve as a metaphor for ISIS and extremism. We may think we are stopping a spreading fire, but it seems to keep spreading.
Photos courtesy of Maison 4:3 and Icarus Films
