Son of Babylon

Son of Babylon

2009 · 100 min · ★ 7.3 · Drama, War

A willful young boy follows his just and obstinate grandmother on a journey across Iraq, determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed's father, who never returned from war.

Directed by Mohamed Al Daradji · Written by Jennifer Norridge

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTube

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 22m together

Son of Babylon

Mosul

Both from Mohamed Al Daradji.

More from Mohamed Al DaradjiSee all →

HijraHijra · 2025
Hijra
★ 7.02025
MovieAdventureDrama
A drama centered on the bond formed between different generations of Saudi women during a journey across the desert to Mecca. When the eldest granddaughter disappears, the grandmother travels to the north in search of the missing teenager.
ScalesScales · 2020
Scales
★ 6.72020
MovieFantasyDrama
Hayat, a 12-year-old strong-willed girl, lives in a poor fishing village governed by dark tradition, in which every family must give away a daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters near by. In turn, the sea creatures are hunted by the men of the village. Saved from this ordeal by her father, Hayat is outcasted by her village and considered a curse. But Hayat never surrenders. When Hayat’s mother gives birth to her new-born brother, Hayat must accept the brutal custom by sacrificing herself to these creatures or find a way to escape.
MosulMosul · 2019
Mosul
★ 6.72019
MovieWarDrama
When ISIS took their homes, families and city, one group of men fought to take it all back. Based on true events, this is the story of the Nineveh SWAT team, a renegade police unit who waged a guerrilla operation against ISIS in a desperate struggle to save their home city of Mosul.
The JourneyThe Journey · 2017
The Journey
★ 5.82017
MovieDrama
Sara enters Baghdad station with sinister intentions for its reopening ceremony. As she braces to commit an unthinkable act, her plans are drastically altered by an unwanted and awkward encounter with Salam, a self-assured and flirtatious salesman. With Salam now hostage to Sara’s confused and deluded plan, he battles desperately to appeal to her humanity and sway her decision. In a moment of consideration and with her convictions crumbling before her, Sara is given the opportunity to witness the life and innocence she was so willing to destroy. But is this a second chance or an admission of guilt?
DreamsDreams · 2006
Dreams
★ 5.82006
MovieDramaWar
Scarred Baghdad 2003... confusion, uncertainty and death engulf the bombed ruins of a Psychiatric Asylum. Voyeuristically we move between the past and the present of three Iraqi lives entangled by the chaos of the American 'Shock and Awe' campaign...
Children of GodChildren of God · 2013
Children of God
2013
MovieDramaRomance
A young disabled amputee boy with a passion for football bets his valuable footballer pictures in the hope he can grab the attention of the girl he loves.
In the Sands of BabylonIn the Sands of Babylon · 2013
In the Sands of Babylon
2013
MovieDramaHistory
An Iraqi soldier escaping from Kuwait as the army retreats in 1991 is captured and cast into Saddam’s infamous prisons, accused of being a traitor. Outside, an Iraqi uprising instills hope for those held captive in the killing fields of Babylon.
Irkalla: Gilgamesh's DreamIrkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream · 2026
Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream
2026
MovieDrama
In a burning Baghdad, a homeless boy escapes into myth, seeking to resurrect his parents. As his friend is drawn into violence, Chum-Chum must save him, guided by the shadows of Gilgamesh and the Lamassu in a city that refuses to die.
In My Mother's ArmsIn My Mother's Arms · 2011
In My Mother's Arms
2011
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Several children live and study in a small rented house and they have no one to help them accept for Husham, a student. When the landlord demands they leave, the children lose their only sanctuary.
Iraq: God, Love, War & MadnessIraq: God, Love, War & Madness · 2008
Iraq: God, Love, War & Madness
2008
MovieDocumentary
In 2003, Baghdad-born Mohamed Al-Daradji returned home after a decade in exile to film Ahlaam, the second feature shot in Iraq post-Saddam Hussein. This documentary follows the idealistic young director as he realises his dream in bizarre and turbulent circumstances. With its improvised form and unpredictable course, the film reflects the incredible risks confronting filmmakers in ‘liberated’ Iraq and celebrates Iraqi people’s spirit to survive amid overwhelming social and political chaos.

More Like This

The Hurt LockerThe Hurt Locker · 2008
The Hurt Locker
★ 7.22008
MovieDramaThriller
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
RedactedRedacted · 2007
Redacted
★ 5.92007
MovieWarDrama
A fictional documentary discusses the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers and local people through interviews with members of an American military unit, the media, and local Iraqis.
Europa EuropaEuropa Europa · 1990
Europa Europa
★ 7.21990
MovieHistoryDrama
A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth.
The Tiger and the SnowThe Tiger and the Snow · 2005
The Tiger and the Snow
★ 6.72005
MovieComedyDrama
Love and injury in time of war. Attilio de Giovanni teaches poetry in Italy. He has a romantic soul, and women love him. But he is in love with Vittoria, and the love is unrequited. Every night he dreams of marrying her, in his boxer shorts and t-shirt, as Tom Waits sings. Vittoria travels to Iraq with her friend, Fuad, a poet; they are there with the second Gulf War breaks out. Vittoria is injured. Attilio must get to her side, and then, as war rages around him, he must find her the medical care she needs. In war, does love conquer all?
Before the FallBefore the Fall · 2004
Before the Fall
★ 7.12004
MovieDrama
In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's boxing skills get him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA) – high schools that produce Nazi elite. Over his father's objections, Friedrich enrolls. During his year in seventh column, Friedrich encounters hazing, cruelty, death, and the Nazi code. His friendship with Albrecht, the ascetic son of the area's governor, is central to this education.
Empire of the SunEmpire of the Sun · 1987
Empire of the Sun
★ 7.51987
MovieDramaHistory
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Amira & SamAmira & Sam · 2014
Amira & Sam
★ 6.02014
MovieDramaRomance
Sam, a soldier who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, meets Amira when he visits her uncle, Bassam, who had served as Sam's Iraqi translator. Bassam and Sam have a special bond due to their time together in the war. Initially Amira does not trust him because he was an American soldier and her brother was killed by a bomb from American troops in the war. Sam's cousin, Charlie, asks Sam to help him with illegal hedge funds unbeknownst to Sam at the time. Amira is staying with her uncle Bassam since her father died. She sells bootlegged films on the street corner but is forced to stay with Sam after getting busted; immigration officials begin pursuing her. As the film progresses, Sam and Amira fall in love.
Swing KidsSwing Kids · 1993
Swing Kids
★ 6.71993
MovieMusicDrama
The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.
For a Lost SoldierFor a Lost Soldier · 1992
For a Lost Soldier
★ 6.81992
MovieDramaWar
In the occupied Netherlands near the end of WWII, a young teenager, Jeroen Boman (Maarten Smit) is sent to the Dutch countryside to avoid the war in Amsterdam. While living with his adopted family, Jeroen meets and becomes friends with a Canadian soldier named Walt Cook, who is stationed at the same town he is staying at. Joroen and Walt spend a lot of time playing around and eventually a romantic relationship develops between them. The boy’s sexual curiosity leads him to have a sexual experience with Walt, an encounter that is shown with some vague detail but without actually showing any nudity, even though sexual intimacy between the two of them is implied. Overall, the movie handles this difficult subject with an elegant style and feeling, without having the adult-child relationship overwhelm the viewer and thus allowing the movie to be seen as just a wartime relationship between two people that marks an important time in a young boy’s life.
The Children of Huang ShiThe Children of Huang Shi · 2008
The Children of Huang Shi
★ 6.72008
MovieDramaWar
About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.
Winter in WartimeWinter in Wartime · 2008
Winter in Wartime
★ 6.72008
MovieDramaHistory
During World War II in the freezing winter of 1944-45 the western Netherlands are in the grip of a famine. Many people move east to provide for their families. Fourteen year old Michiel can't wait to join the Dutch resistance, to the dismay of his father, who, as mayor, works to prevent escalations in the village.
Come and SeeCome and See · 1985
Come and See
★ 8.21985
MovieDramaWar
The invasion of a village in Belarus by German forces sends young Flyora into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Flyora finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
Taking ChanceTaking Chance · 2009
Taking Chance
★ 7.22009
MovieDramaWar
Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a volunteer military escort accompanies the body of Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps to his hometown in Wyoming.
Beasts of No NationBeasts of No Nation · 2015
Beasts of No Nation
★ 7.62015
MovieDramaWar
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.
Fair GameFair Game · 2010
Fair Game
★ 6.52010
MovieDramaThriller
A devoted wife and mother leads a secret life as a CIA agent until her husband’s article exposes a scandal, putting her identity and loved ones at risk. As her world crumbles, she must navigate the fallout of her double life.
The Card CounterThe Card Counter · 2021
The Card Counter
★ 6.12021
MovieDramaThriller
William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk.
Barefoot GenBarefoot Gen · 1983
Barefoot Gen
★ 7.61983
MovieAnimationDrama
A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.
Secrets of WarSecrets of War · 2014
Secrets of War
★ 6.72014
MovieWarFamily
Tuur and Lambert are best friends. But the war is closing in and is about to change their lives forever. Tuurs dad joined the resistance and even his big brother seems so be part of it. Lamberts family on the other hand choose to obey the Germans. Then a new girls from the city shows up, befriending the boys but telling her secret to only one of them. A choice that separates the boys and ultimately gets her in trouble.
Control RoomControl Room · 2004
Control Room
★ 7.32004
MovieDocumentaryWar
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter