Iraq’s invasion of the US killed an unknown number of people, possibly hundreds of thousands, and drove nine million Iraqis from their country, scattered to the four corners of the Earth.
Among those who fled are Mohammed Al Windawi, his wife and two young children – Yosef, then four years old, and his younger sister Azraa. They came to Jordan first, then settled in Egypt, and were removed again to live in America as refugees – in Louisville, KY.
The story of Joseph’s growth – when he was a young man mixing between cultures and countries – is told in the documentary. Pinballwhich made its world premiere Friday night at the True/False festival in Columbia, MO. Watch a clip of the film below. In a Q&A after the premiere, Yosef described the film as “an exploration of my past and a search for who I am.”
Joseph on the football field.
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The documentary shows his friendship with other young men from Louisville who share the same background. There is a somewhat adversarial but loving relationship with his father, but Joseph and his sister both feel drawn to a distant place.
“Naturally my body doesn’t feel at home here.” Naturally,” Joseph said in a film about Louisville. “Physically, I feel it. I feel good in other parts of the world. That just didn’t happen. I know what my body needs and I want to feed it that.”
Director Naveen Chaubal (right) and producer Bryn Silverman
Gray is beautiful
The film is directed by Naveen Chaubal, who grew up in neighboring Indiana as the son of Indian immigrants. In the Q&A, Chaubal described his relationship with Yosef and his family from a short film he made ten years ago.
“Through that process, we met Yosef and Azraa and their family. And that’s when I started to see a lot of familiar things and scenes play out without going to their house,” he said. “The familiarity of conversations between father and son or father and daughter or son and mother, it felt so familiar and familial that it was just like, ‘Oh, there’s something here that needs to be shared.’ And here we are [were] Kentucky, Louisville, and we usually don’t see that as a background. We usually don’t see Indiana as a backdrop. So, it felt like there was something urgent about telling that story.”
Yosef and Azraa in ‘Pinball’
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In the film, Yosef and Azraa make plans to go to Egypt, a place where they feel they can feel more comfortable (perhaps without the scrutiny that comes with being an Arab immigrant to the US). Finally, they both go to Cairo – Azraa first, followed by her brother, their time there is written by Chaubal. There are moments of humor in the Pinball as the brothers argue.
“We have a lot of sibling conflicts, but I actually think that trip made our relationship stronger, it was like we were inseparable. We are very close,” Azraa commented. “That trip and working very close to it [producer] Bryn [Silverman] and Naveen, it really helped our relationship.”
Yosef Al Windawi and Azraa Al Windawi
Gray is beautiful
Pinball features a stirring, unusual score by composer Will Epstein, who also participated in the Q&A.
“I worked on a short film [with Chaubal] and it was one of the movies that got me,” Epstein commented. “I did like four times as much music as there is in this movie and we put it in this kind of world that resonates. So, it’s been a really special process.”
In the director’s statement, Chaubal writes, “In his heart, Pinball it’s about being a man; becoming a brother; and be a person who can hold both grief and reality in the same body. Joseph’s relationship with his sister, Azraa, follows the usual songs of kinship – opposition and refuge combined. His relationship with his father, at the time tumultuous and tender, follows a quiet and often unspoken work of forgiveness. I hope that the audience finds themselves somewhere in between these relationships, recognizing in Joseph’s journey the nature of their transition into adulthood.
“When we started this film, the world felt different. The story we were telling – of migration, resilience, and belonging – seemed to be something that this country prefers not to see. Now it feels impossibly urgent. The reversal of US involvement in the Middle East is not the echoes of the world; they live in residences, in school hallways, in long family conversations. After the war, it is driven by the emotional values of young people who are asked to grow up quickly, translate it into homes his parents, carry histories that he did not choose.”
Chaubal continues, “However, Pinball it is not a thesis of oppression. It does not want to sue for spectacle. Instead, it gives Joseph a space – and perhaps a tool – to speak. The film resists positioning him as a symbol or an argument. He is not a symbol of policy. She is a young person discovering her body, exploring her edges, discussing interpersonal relationships and her independence. “
Pinball directed by Naveen Chaubal, who also worked as cinematographer and editor. Bryn Silverman produced the film and contributed additional editing and cinematography. Executive producers are Darcy McKinnon, Faisal Azam, and Jannet Nuñez. Protagonist Yosef Al Windawi also serves as co-producer. Pinball executive produced by Carrie Lozano.
Watch a clip of Pinball here, included Joseph and his father, Mohammed. It begins with music from Epstein’s score.
