Overview
A poignant journey through war-torn Iraq, where hope and determination collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- austere
- compassionate
- reflective viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's humane script, direction, and central performances for conveying Iraq's postwar devastation, while some found its unresolved conclusion frustrating but thematically appropriate.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ahmed accompanies his grandmother across Iraq while searching for information about his missing father, filtering the devastation through a young observer.
The journey focuses on survivors, missing relatives, and communities living amid Iraq's devastation rather than on military spectacle.
The grandmother's determined search for Ahmed's father connects one family's uncertainty to the many Iraqis who disappeared during war.
The cross-country journey presents Iraq as a landscape marked by war, grief, and civilian survival.
Films like Son of Babylon, and why
Theeb
shared documentary realism, postwar grief, and intimate journey structure
The White Balloon
shared child-centered wartime drama, regional specificity, and political aftermath
Waltz with Bashir
shared bleak but humane road movie form, displaced civilians, and aftermath of armed conflict
Under the Shadow
shared realist treatment of war's civilian consequences, mourning, and unresolved trauma
Movie Details
- Director
- Mohamed Al Daradji
- Release Date
- 2009-05-01
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (18)
Cast
- Shazada Hussein
- Yasser Talib
- Bashir Al Majid
- Salih Abdul Rahman Farhad
- Kefaya Dakhee Kareem
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Son of Babylon about?
- A determined grandmother and her headstrong grandson cross a devastated Iraq seeking answers about a son lost to war.
- What is Son of Babylon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Son of Babylon as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Son of Babylon violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Son of Babylon as mild.
- What did critics think of Son of Babylon?
- Critics broadly praised the film's humane script, direction, and central performances for conveying Iraq's postwar devastation, while some found its unresolved conclusion frustrating but thematically appropriate.
- Which films are like Son of Babylon?
- Films with a similar feel include Theeb, The White Balloon, Waltz with Bashir, and Under the Shadow.
- How long is Son of Babylon?
- Son of Babylon runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Son of Babylon?
- In United States, Son of Babylon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
