Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream - A Creative, Fantastical Vision With Grounded, Devastating Realities.
- Michael Ornelas
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
We’ve all longed to escape, whether from the weight of responsibility, the harshness of reality, or the invisible shackles that bind us. Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream takes that universal yearning to another level, following a homeless boy in a burning Baghdad who sees mythical visions that might free him, and even resurrect his parents.
While my description may sound like fantasy, this is no escapist fairy tale. Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji creative vision grounds his story firmly in the lived realities of Iraq, particularly within the unseen community of homeless children. What unfolds is a devastatingly authentic portrait of survival, where imagination, song, and fleeting kindness serve as lifelines against an unrelenting backdrop of poverty and war. Each passing moment drew me deeper in, my heart aching yet rooting harder for these children to find a way out.
At the center are Chum-Chum (Youssef Husham Al-Thahabi) and Moody (Hussein Raad Zuwayr). Chum-Chum is the dreamer, praying to Gilgamesh for entry into the Irkalla to restore his family. Moody, older and protective yet often misguided, schemes to escape Baghdad by any means, even dangerous ones. Their bond is tested at every turn. Alongside them is Mariam (Samar Kazem Jawad), a teacher and bus driver who bears her own scars of militia violence, reluctantly stepping into the role of surrogate mother.
The film doesn’t guide you gently, it sweeps you into its current. At times meditative, at others overwhelming, its rhythm is like a river that can soothe one moment and surge toward a brutal waterfall the next. You hold out hope for a safer passage, even as the horizon looms with dread.
The performances here are remarkable. Youssef Husham Al-Thahabi and Hussein Raad Zuwayr deliver work deserving of Academy-level recognition. Their raw honesty, combined with Al-Daradji’s deeply personal vision, creates a cinematic experience that feels less like invention and more like memory, born not from fantasy, but from wounds that remain unhealed in Iraq’s history.
By the end, I found myself weeping, tears of both grief and gratitude. The film is painful and beautiful, despairing yet hopeful. Its poetic imagery and unflinching humanity strive to break cycles of devastation, replacing them with empathy, imagination, and the possibility of renewal. Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream won’t be for everyone. But it should be seen by everyone, because through stories like this, hope has a chance to take root, and we, too, may learn to fly higher.
I got to sit down with Director Mohamed Al-Daradji to discuss the creativity behind Irkala and how he navigated telling this compelling story. Note that we were in a busy conference center at TIFF so the audio may be slightly distorted in some areas. See the full interview below.
