International conflict is scaled down to a decidedly personal level as filmmakers Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter encourage four Iraqi high school boys to document a year in their lives beginning in October of 2006. Hayder is a Shia who longs to become a popular singer/songwriter, Anmar is a Catholic who fears being persecuted for his religion, Mohammed is a half-Sunni/half-Shia who does his best to remain carefree, and Ali is a Kurd who does his best just to get by - yet despite the fact that some 2,700 civilians were killed in Baghdad during the opening month of filming alone, these amiable teens seem more concerned with living out their dreams than going off to battle. Though the threat of physical violence is always very real, Hayder, Anmar, Mohammed, and Ali fall under increasing mental strain as they strive to keep up on their studies despite constant power-outages and watch their fellow pupils mysteriously vanish from the classroom. As the teens interact with their family and friends through such landmark events as the execution of Saddam Hussein and President George W. Bush's Spring 2007 troop surge, viewers are invited to view this controversial conflict from the unique vantage point of people who are forced to contend with it every waking minute of their lives.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide