Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- What's it really like to host an army of occupation in your hometown?

``My Country, My Country,'' a compelling film airing tonight on PBS at 9 p.m. New York time, gives the view from Baghdad. While it won't be a hit at the White House, the film is also not an antiwar polemic.

Filmmaker Laura Poitras focuses on the leadup to the January 2005 Iraqi elections that, we should remember, drew a higher percentage of voters than the typical U.S. ballot exercise.

She focuses on Dr. Riyadh, who is both a medical doctor and a candidate representing the Iraqi Islamic Party. Intense and amusing, devout and ironic, the good doctor defies the stereotype that all Iraqis opposed to the U.S. presence are wild-eyed crazies who think nothing becomes a tuxedo like a cummerbund stuffed with dynamite.

Riyadh -- that's his first name; his last name isn't mentioned on the program -- faces great challenges. He's a world- weary physician in a war-ravaged city, a Sunni in a country where Shiites are the majority, and the husband of a sharp-tongued woman with six children.

He is also passionate about democracy, though he considers the U.S. version too secular and unconcerned about justice to be a model for Iraq. He's also deeply critical of the U.S. occupation, and not afraid to say so.

`Touched His Heart'

Poitras films him at home and office, where he helps patients suffering from various maladies. The afflictions include financial ruin, which he treats with occasional cash handouts. Seeing a doctor give money to a patient is like watching a man bite a dog.

Poitras enjoyed great access to U.S. military personnel, who come across as much kinder and gentler than those who beat the war drums back home.

An early segment features a briefing where soldiers are told their top assignment on election day is to protect the Sunni minority. In another, a gruff commander chokes up before an audience while discussing the murder of two interpreters. When Riyadh complains about the treatment of civilians, an officer responds that he has ``touched his heart.''

Poitras, who says her work has landed her on a Department of Homeland Security ``watch list,'' includes a few pictures of executed election workers but avoids manipulating the gore surely available to her. The bloodiest scene is that of Riyadh slicing the throat of a chicken.

Worry Beads, Graffiti

The film contains telling details: a helicopter crewman's helmet with a ``panic button'' pasted on the back and a couple of women passing the time as gunfire cracks outside their window. One fiddles with her worry beads, while the other wields a fly swatter. There's also a glance at local graffiti, which features ``fake you'' instead of the usual f-word, and the more somber, ``We'll make your graves in this place.''

Those who view coalition forces as ``liberators'' could benefit from segments reminding us that when civilians are killed, lifelong enemies are created.

One woman complains about American troops shooting people outside a mosque, calling them the ``tall ones with the green eyes.'' Neither her heart nor mind is likely to be won over.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is its reminder that those who struggle under occupation are much like ourselves: patriotic (``My Country, My Country'' is taken from the Iraqi national anthem), committed to their neighbors and trying to live in peace with family members.

That's sometimes a tough assignment.

At one point, Riyadh is chided by his wife. ``Saddam destroyed'' their nation, she says, ``and you just sat there.''

The doctor is no slouch in the memorable phrase department, either. ``We are a suicidal people,'' he muses. ``It is our destiny.''

Come election morning the sun rises, cocks crow and bombs detonate. Riyadh failed to gain a seat on the provincial assembly but leaves us with a lasting memory of how occupation plays out in the lives of ordinary people.

``Life is a tragedy,'' he notes before heading off to prayer.

For more information on the program, see http://www.pbs.org.

(Dave Shiflett is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Dave Shiflett at dshifl@aol.com.

Last Updated: October 25, 2006 00:10 EDT