I think the beauty of the film is that each story annotates the reality from a different experiential perspective.

Let me try to explain myself with the analogy of a football game (in no way I intend to equate war with football, just that I can't think of a better way to explain myself): 1) The first perspective is of a tourist who is at loss in comprehending the hooliganism reigning a city, without realizing that it is because of a high-stake football game between two close rivals. 2) The second perspective is of a spectator in the stadium who is experiencing emotional dissonance on seeing his side lose in the game. 3) And the final perspective is of a player of the losing side, maybe a substitute who is called in during the last ten minutes of the game.

Each perspective is more immediate than the previous one (secondary observer, primary observer and participant) and gradually takes us into the thick of the action. All perspectives combine to present a multi-dimensional view of a collapse. Brilliant.