Coup de Grâce
Country: Iraq
Production: Film and Theater Directorate / The National Theater Troupe
Staging: Mohamed Mouaied
Dramaturgy: Mokded Abdel Rida
Set Design: Bachar Issam
Duration: 45 minutes
Performance: 15 dancer-actors
Synopsis:
The play is set in the moments just before the final breath, a mere 7 minutes where, according to scientists, cerebral activity intensifies along with an accelerated heartbeat. “Talkatou Al Rhama” (Coup de Grâce) narrates the final moments of an Iraqi man’s life, ended by an unknown assailant’s bullet to the head. It weaves together factual events with remnants of the Iraqi man’s memories.
Predominantly reliant on physical expression, “Talkatou Al Rhama” portrays the passage of time experienced by the Iraqi man after his death, symbolizing the journey of the Iraqi individual from the fall of Baghdad to the present day. Through their bodies, the actor-dancers denounce arbitrary death and echo the themes of life, love, and peace.
