The arrival of a new life is not always gratifying. When the plague spread, no one had the courage to say "welcome" to the newborn. If they can, I hope they can be born later. However, a mother from Syria insisted on bringing the child to life during the war. The first gift she gave to the baby was this movie full of blood and tears——
For Sama
For Sama
Director: Waai Akatib/ Edward Watts Starring: Waai Akatib/ Hamza Khatib/ Sama Al Khatib/ Katie Proctor Release date : 2019-05-01 (South by Southwest Film Festival) Duration: 96 minutes
In March 2011, a civil war broke out in Syria. The shells blasted the formerly prosperous Aleppo into a living ruin. In this city with the largest population base in the country, countless civilians experience the ongoing process of death every day. The director and protagonist of the film Wad Akatib lives here.
In the five years from 2012 to 2016, she used a camera to record everything happening around her-demonstrations, parades, bombings, escapes... More than 500 hours of video material recorded the sudden disappearance of too many innocent lives.
After successfully evacuating Aleppo, Ward collaborated with Edward Watts, a British director who had previous experience in documentary filming . The two spent two years reintegrating the material. In the end, the non-linear combination of a large number of shots created this stunning work.
But one thing must be stated in advance, that is, the narrative perspective of this film is quite subjective . As a staunch member of the opposition, Wade stood in the camp of revolutionaries from beginning to end, against the Syrian government forces supported by Russia. This probably also constitutes one of the many reasons why Varde, who is not a major, has gained a lot of praise in the international arena. After all, whether it is the 99% freshness of Rotten Tomatoes or the Oscar nomination for best feature-length documentary , it is the reputation of the Western world that supports the opposition. In the Anglo-American awards season where English-speaking countries enjoy absolute right to speak, this film has a natural advantage.
However, political attributes aside, "For Sama" is still a masterpiece. It is the most personal story about the suffering under the chaos of war. For people living in a peaceful country, this documentary undoubtedly provides a window into the cruel zone. Well, not much to say. Now, let us cross the ruins of broken tiles, cross the sea of blood, and follow Wade into the deep and fiery waters of East Aleppo to find out.
After a harsh sirens, what came into view was the following picture: The sudden bombing took a young life; Two brothers were crying beside the brother's body; After a long time, the children's mother rushed to Hospital; She picked up the body of her little son wrapped in blue cloth and went to the street, muttering: "My baby is dead."
Such "drama codes" appear repeatedly in the film, and indiscriminate death constitutes the main theme of the film . This is often the case with Ward's shots: shaky, rough texture, pitch black, and hazy. The shooting skills are unfamiliar. In the face of a sudden missile attack, it is even more difficult to take care of the camera in hand. Even if bombing became a daily life, Vard obviously still couldn't adapt. It's like life and death in a hospital, even if it is staged countless times every day, isn't it still unacceptable for people?
You see, another boy who was killed by a bomb. Wearing red and blue clothes and pink nail polish, his face that was supposed to be red was plated yellow with ashes. The boy's uncle told Ward that the child's parents were long gone. At that moment, Ward admitted that she was somewhat jealous of the parents. At least, they don't need to bear the pain of burying their flesh and blood in person.
Like the two boys mentioned above, it is not rare that they had no breath before being sent to the hospital. But on average, there are still about 300 patients who need doctors to rescue each day. Those with relatively minor injuries will cover their wounds and their consciousness is still clear. The rest are mostly bloody and dying. Among them, those who did not survive had to be dragged away by medical staff in an extremely indecent way. Only the long blood stains behind them and the hopeless cry of their relatives can prove that they have struggled on the edge of life and death.
But sometimes, people don't even have time to say goodbye. It is true that a missile fell and a family of ten died at the same time. No tears, no screams, no one needs to bury anyone, no one needs to mourn for someone. The original heavy death appeared light and fluttering because no one was there. When the camera turns to the next corpse, this family will be completely forgotten by the world.
However, if death is the only thing surrounding doctors in the past five years, no matter how stubbornly they believe they will be destroyed. What gives them strength in desperate situations is the miracle of life. Ward was also fortunate to witness the miracle with his own eyes. Fighting planes crossed the horizon, and it was another military raid. This time, it was a young woman who was pregnant for nine months.
The doctor acted decisively and gave the pregnant woman an emergency cesarean section, but the baby who was taken out showed no signs of life, and his body was horribly pale. But the medical staff did not give up. A pair of big hands pressed and slapped the baby's body vigorously. Finally, the little baby opened his eyes. Immediately afterwards, his eyes closed, his facial features shrank, and his first cry was long overdue.
The short cry was so beautiful that words could not describe one thousandth of it. Fortunately, on the other side of the operating room, the mother who injured the artery was also successfully saved. In Aleppo, where corpses are everywhere, people can't ask for more. The peace of mother and child is probably the most celebrated miracle.
This kind of touch, Ward deeply understands, because she is also a mother. While being trapped in Aleppo, Wade and the doctor Hamza became in love for a long time and became married. The " Sama " in the title refers to the crystallization of their love. Therefore, "For Sama" is not only a live documentary about the war, but also a home video left by the Wade couple to their daughter. All the details of the two holding their positions and getting married and having children are included. They are real, vigorous, and tender.
Although the couple later embraced their second treasure, Sama is still very meaningful to them. From being conceived to being born to the infancy when he was under one year old, Sama almost never left the Aleppo war zone. Being born next to death is really not lucky. Ward felt that he should give his daughter a name with a beautiful meaning.
"Sama" means sky. To be more specific, Ward explained that there is no air force or bombs, only the sun, clouds and birds, a sky that they love and dream of. Little Sama carries the parents' yearning for peace. "For Sama" is also for freedom and peace. In the cracks of protests and shouts, blood and bitter tears, I saw people's attempts to regain a moment of peace in their lives.
To some extent, the lives of civilians in war zones are no different from ours. Under the indiscriminate bombing of government forces, it is difficult to keep the building intact. But fortunately, there is a home where there are people. In Ward's family of three, the atmosphere is very warm, although the days are very careful.
Knowing that bombs might strike at any time, Hamza still planted flowers and plants in his backyard. In winter, the garden was bare, so he cut through the thick snow and wrote "I love you" for his wife. At the same time, I noticed that there was only one flower still blooming in the cold wind, even if it was bent by snowflakes, I wanted to persist. Hamza's simplicity, stubbornness and romance are as good as it, and he is very cute.
Of course, this tall, soft-hearted man also had moments of frustration. Looking at the unrecognizable garden behind the bombardment, he smiled casually, but his tone was distressed. As a doctor, when he was forced to leave the "battlefield", he couldn't restrain his tears even when he recalled the bit by bit of the struggle on the front line.
Compared with him, Ward's friends, Afra, and his family are purely optimistic. Afra and Salem have three children. They are strong, humorous, and happy all day. Afrah would describe the story of her daughter being frightened by the airstrike and wetting the bed poetically and interestingly. Salem will mysteriously give his wife a green persimmon as a surprise.
But Ward's attitude towards them is not only trust, but also respect. Because like Vard and Hamza, they also managed to protect this "dead city" until the end . In a special period, the devastated Aleppo not only has a very limited range of activities, but also has few learning and entertainment resources. The King Salem is the children's best playmate. At home, the three children rushed to play with him, cheering and laughing. Outside, children from other people's homes, regardless of their age, also like to circle him.
He is responsible for leading everyone to play and paint the bus with beautiful paint. Avra provides children with the safest possible learning environment in the difficult school. It is true that the means are barren, but this is the best childhood that adults in Aleppo can give their children. They have tried their best.
At the end of 2016, the survivors evacuated Aleppo one by one. Wald and Afra are the last batches. Ward once said that Sama's slowness to bombing broke her heart. She would rather her daughter cry endlessly than see such a confused and empty look. But just as the adults cheered for passing the checkpoint smoothly, Sama in the van cried with a grin.
The charming look is extremely vivid. This is the second time in the whole film, I am so obsessed with the crying of babies. I know that when she grows up, she will understand this movie made for her and will also remember this history of her involvement.
But at the moment, more importantly, using images as weapons, Wade has made his own voice to the world . Regardless of whether the position is correct or not, the record is a precious instinct after all. There may be no winners in the war, but "For Sama" undoubtedly confirms the victory of human instinct.
*Author of this article: kiwi
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