RITA DI SANTO draws attention to a new film that features Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn, and their personal experience of media misrepresentation
Explosive impact
An extraordinary documentary on a Kurdish bomb-disposal expert in Iraq makes a devastating impression on MARIA DUARTE
JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime
MARJORIE MAYO welcomes an account of family life after Oscar Wilde, a cathartic exercise, written by his grandson
KEN COCKBURN guides us through a survey of Chekov’s early short fiction, and the groundwork it laid for his later masterpieces
ANDY HEDGECOCK revels in a hugely enjoyable but deadly serious examination of the 1930s, that is an indictment of our own era
The bard distills our hellish times into fiery words
The Deminer (15)
Directed by Hogir Hirori and Shinwar Kamai
KATHRYN BIGELOW'S The Hurt Locker about the work of US bomb disposal experts in Iraq pales by comparison with this extraordinary story of real-life “deminer” Colonel Fakhir, who disarmed thousands of mines with just a simple knife and a pair of clippers.
Hogir Hirori and Shinwar Kamai's powerful, heart-stopping documentary paints a singular picture of this heroic Kurdish father of eight. A local legend in Duhok, he put his life on the line every day to save innocent lives in Iraq.
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The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE is enthralled by a complex thriller, but advises caution in accepting its depiction of reality