The film, which comes out on DVD next month, is also a tale of the thwarted possibilities for Iraq’s youth. The band’s four members are educated and Westernized, and though they’re intensely loyal to Iraq, they yearn for a place where wearing a Slip Knot shirt won’t get you killed. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has never been easy, but there was a brief moment—between Saddam Hussein’s fall and the chaos that ensued—in which the band, like many Iraqis, hoped real change would come. Now the young musicians are just struggling to stay together and alive. Whether you love or hate heavy metal, their story will rock you.
