For Sama is playing at Northwest Film Forum at 7pm on November 6th, 7:30pm on November 7th, 6:15pm on November 9th, and 7:30pm on November 10th.
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The camera is the single most important invention in cinema. Without it, we could not visually see the stories that we want to tell. It is a magical device that lets filmmakers capture the stories that envelope them. However, the camera also becomes a filmmaker’s shield. It allows them to hide behind the object and not directly interact with what’s in front of them. In For Sama, that notion could not be any more different.
Following the five years of Aleppo’s uprising, For Sama chronicles the life of the director, Waad al-Kateab, as she recounts her years in Aleppo to her daughter Sama. Amid her recollection, al-Kateab provides the context of the bombardment of Aleppo while also highlighting her struggle with the decisions she has made that are depicted within the film, trying to figure out to herself if what she did was worth it.
For Sama‘s timeline spans five years. Throughout this long span, al-Kateab could have easily shown shot after shot of the devastation left behind from the Syrian Civil War. As outsiders to the situation, the images that For Sama chooses to display shock and appall. However, For Sama is not here to just shock and awe. For Sama also provides glimpses into the small pockets of joy that humanity can create in such dire situations. Despite the political nature of the film surrounding the Syrian Civil War, For Sama is just as much a documentary highlighting the positive power of humanity, capturing the beautiful and joyful moments created by the resiliency and love of the families still occupying Aleppo. In the end, For Sama highlights the resiliency amidst the horror, not just the horror itself. In doing so, al-Kateab creates a somber and heartbreaking look into the tragedies caused by the Aleppo bombings.
The images within For Sama are ones that do not leave the mind that easily. From towering drone shots to intimate shots of mothers giving birth to harrowing looks of dead bodies and pools of blood, For Sama does not shy away from the trauma of the situation at hand. Yet, for all the terrifying images displayed throughout the film, each image is layered with another meaning relating to the director’s reevaluation of her relationship with the Syrian Civil War. This reflection is where For Sama shines.
At the center of the documentary is a love letter. As the title suggests, it’s a letter for Sama, al-Kateab’s daughter. In her letter, al-Kateab grapples with her internal struggle of being an activist and a mother. Although For Sama is effective in showcasing the disasters of the Syrian Civil War, the documentary places extra emphasis on the family and children affected by the tragedy as well. As we watch the devastating footage of children running in with their dead siblings and mothers grieving at the foot of their passed children, we become frozen like al-Kateab, knowing that all we can do is watch. However, it becomes more devastating as we remember that al-Kateab is watching the same footage as we are. This remembrance comes simultaneously with al-Kateab’s as she realizes that at any moment, that could be her with the risk she has placed on her child, a child with no stakes and understanding of the fight.
It is through these confessions that we come to understand the complicated nature of the war for al-Kateab. We watch and listen to her wrestle between her self-proclaimed selfishness of wanting to leave and make sure her daughter is safe and the feeling the need to stand up for a better future for her daughter. Here, we see a woman find her voice amid tragedy, understanding who she has become while also reasoning with the foundation that she hopes benefit the children of the future. As al-Kateab’s self-reflection comes into a full circle, al-Kateab and us as an audience slowly realize that despite the devastation caused by the events, there may be some hope through the powerful children of the future.
The mixing of personal and political is not something new in documentary filmmaking. Yet, as one watches For Sama, something feels different. Despite the political nature that surrounds the subject of the film, it also chronicles one woman’s journey, highlighting the lows (albeit many which are graphic), but also the highs with the human relationships she has come to cherished, the resiliency of those surrounding her, and of course, her family. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the camera often feels like a physical barrier for audiences. In For Sama, that notion could not be more different as the camera becomes the excuse to move in closer and the vehicle for al-Kateab’s self-reflections. Every new shot flashed up on the screen makes the audience feel closer and closer to the action, to the point that one may want to look away at just how jarring and close we get to the contents displayed in the film. However, every shot is a necessary image for us to understand not only the crisis itself but how it personally affected al-Kateab and how it made her the person she is today. In doing so, al-Kateab creates one of the most affecting, poignant, and heartbreaking documentaries of 2019.
4/5 STARS