There is Only One Enemy, and It's Not Who You Think

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Today’s climate is not really conducive to clear and concise thinking.  Policymakers skew an issue so that it promotes and assists out their own specific ulterior agenda.  The media serves as the fourth arm of the government, framing issues in manners that lack all forms of objectivity.  As time continues to move forward it seems as if objective reporting on issues is dwindling away.  This is why I believe that Neda Sarmast’s film “Nobody’s Enemy” is one of the best documentaries on Iranian Youth culture to date.
Born in Iran in 1969, Neda Sarmast moved to the United States at the age of 9 and has traveled back and forth between the two countries ever since. She holds both Iranian and American citizenship.  During the tumultuous hostage crisis of 1979, and again after 9/11, Neda was placed in a difficult situation that some people have to face today.  Not only did Americans she faced treat her with suspicion, but the Iranians she interacted with deemed her as untrustworthy as well.  However this was not her first exposure to difficult situations.  
During the even more tumultuous Iraq-Iran War, Neda’s best friend, a 16-year-old girl, died of a heart attack when aircraft bombed her neighborhood in the middle of the night. Neda was an eyewitness to the horrors of violence and greed, and as a result was forced to run for cover to escape the firefights and bombardments of her mother country.
Feeling that Iranians and Muslims have not been depicted honestly in the US media, Neda Sarmast recently left a prospering music career in New York to become a documentary filmmaker, embracing her passion to promote tolerance and understanding.
“Nobody’s Enemy” opens with the standard screen shot of the American hostages being escorted into the American Embassy courtyard followed by an explanation of the CIA backed coup that brought about the downfall of one of the major Democratic candidates.  (DVD commentary: I love how only now is this aspect of Iranian history just coming to light, instead of surfacing much, much earlier).  This is done in order to give the viewer a good amount of context as to how to approach and understanding the film and more importantly the issues from the past that has created the current state of culture in Iran.  
The film continues on with a myriad of revelations about Iranian youth and culture that most Americans (including myself) did not know.  For example, in the days leading up to the most recent election Iranian youth would be out in the streets publicly debating and vying for the different candidates.  In one scene there is an emboldened Iranian woman asserting how she should not have to feel like a pariah when she travels merely for being Iranian.  Later on the film showed the viewers an interesting response to the levels of censorship and oppression that the Iranian youth experiences.  Hip hop has become one of the most common outlets for Iranian youth to gravitate towards in order to express themselves adequately.
“Nobody’s Enemy” does what countless number of news outlets can’t-  or won’t- do; objectively bring the views and mentality of a group of people to a nation that yearns for it’s understanding.  Iranians will enjoy this film for it accurately portrays the state of affairs in Iran and Non-Iranians will love it for it demonstrates a relatively unknown side of the Iran: it’s people.

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