For Sama

source: For Sama

For Sama is an account of a woman's experiences during the siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo. A brutal component of the battle by Syria's president Assad and his Russian ally is the deliberate targeting of civilians and in particular schools and hospitals. This documentary details the story of a young woman, a college student who became involved in the protests against the Assad regime's repression of the Syrian people. She goes to work in a hospital in Aleppo and falls in love with a doctor. They marry and their daughter is born and named Sama. The mothers accumulates films she has documented before and after her daughters birth as a future testament to her. The couple and their child essentially live in the hospital with their friends and staff. The husband and the hospital staff treat casualties that would overwhelm the most modern Western facilities. It breaks your heart to see the deaths of so many innocent people and in particular the children who are mourned by the family members who accompanied them. The incessant bombing by the Syrian government and the Russians is a thing that they live with every day and has to be viewed as nothing less than war crimes. In the face of all this, they all try to maintain each other's spirits and bring together what small shreads of decency that still exists to replace the horror with a sense of the world that existed before the war. This to me was so touching and I was so proud to realize what these people were capable of. It reaffirmed the proof that humanity and dignity cannot be eradicated by despots and killers. Do not miss this, rarely is the triumph of the human condition displayed so passionately in the midst of unrelenting terror.

Unfortunately, the film is extremely one-sided, sawing Russia and Assad as the only evil ones. I'm not intending to do here a political analysis of the Syrian civil war, but whoever has a slight idea of the situation in Syria, knows the role of UK, US, Turkey, Israel etc. The last who participated in this very dirty and unfair game for the innocent people of Aleppo, was Russia.

If one becomes aware that their child is missing, I cannot fathom, as a human being, that filming ANYTHING at all is necessary. It's a matter of life and death. Not necessary for a documentary, not for proof, not for art, not for anything. Surely the ONLY thought and activity one would engage in, is in finding their child, not switching on a camera first to find their child. 'Life' itself is far more important than anything committed to cinema for entertainment. It seems this first element of the documentary was staged, and as such, I just cannot respect the seriousness of the film as a whole. It appears only to be designed to stand out from other films with the intention of having a deep psychological effect in the viewer - which is quite insulting.

For sama..a movie will made you rethink of yourlife..Just made me speechless

" Sama, you're the most beautiful thing in our life, but what a life i've brought you into, you didn't choose this, will you ever forgive me? " No words can describe what i just watched and felt, horrific in a way i've never experienced before. The scene when we witness the birth of the baby will haunt me forever...

When living in a developed country, it's tough to think things like this happen in other parts of the world. There have always been murmurs on the news about Syria but I'm honestly not too familiar with the situation. I remember when all of this happened. When this starts, it doesn't take long to realize the seriousness of the situation. Some of this footage is terrifying. The only thing this film does wrong is not providing us with context of the situation. It's just footage of war, strikes, people being killed, hospital injuries, post strike damage, and family time. The entire time this group of people is talking about rebelling. While we get to know them well, we don't really hear anything on why they're rebelling or what they stand for. Don't get me wrong... some of this footage is some of the most chilling footage I've ever seen in regards to war. It just would've been nice for more context. I'm not sure if I could've stuck around in this situation... especially with child. Someone else gave this doc a low score and mentioned child neglect and infidelity. Now... I can see wanting to stick around but what were they really doing to further their side? If my child was around that, there's no way I'd stick around. They were extremely lucky that nothing happened to them. Regarding the infidelity... it's not relevant to the film but it was a little odd. One scene the doctor has a wife. The next scene the journalist is marrying the doctor and they're having a baby. Life happens and I'm sure being in this turmoil would drive anyone together but it seemed odd the way the film stitched and glossed over those small details. I think this is a must-watch but I'm also going to go and do a little more research on the entire situation.

2016 Syrian regime & allies (mainly Russian warplanes ) besiege Aleppo. Filming began in 2013 w/protests against decades of Assad family entrenched ruthless power & corruption. Assad security forces would bind the hands of protestors & then shoot them in the head (many bodies found that way). Russia, in expanding it's influence around the world, stepped in to save the regime. Unfortunately US policy, guided by a politician's monetary self-interest, has ignored the actions of "my good friend" Putin & other totalitarian leaders. Warning: Graphic video of dead children.

Terrifying, Devastating and, Surprisingly, outstanding documentation about the horrific Siege of Aleppo in 2016.

In the opening minutes of this film we are seeing a woman's point of view in a building we soon realise is under attack. She gives her baby daughter to another woman who runs downstairs. As she is filming the corridor, up ahead there is an explosion and debris and smoke burst out from one of the doorways. The effect is clear - the audience immediately understands that this film is going to be a huge dose of frightening reality. A civil war seen from the inside. Journalist Waad Al-Khateab lived in the heart of rebel territory during the siege of Aleppo with her doctor husband Hamza. Whilst he and his colleagues treated hundreds of injured civilians in a makeshift hospital she worked hard to document everything that they and their friends experienced whilst also bringing up her baby daughter, Sama, to whom the film is lovingly addressed. The result is a searingly powerful collection of extraordinary footage, which captures both the horror and brutality of the violence visited on civilians as well as the humanity and genuine heroism of those who chose to stay and treat the wounded. The footage is unflinching and shocking in many places, and the audience is party to scenes of gut-wrenching grief. But we are also shown shining glimpses of humanity, of survival, camaraderie, love, and even humour at times. But what makes For Sama really special is the intimate portrayal of a mother's love in the most terrifying of circumstances. Everything is filmed - we get to see Waad's immediate reaction as she holds the newborn Sama for the first time, and suddenly begins to weep for all those people they lost up until this point. It's a stunningly affecting thing to watch a documentary maker bare herself emotionally in this way. And there are so many moments like that, of extraordinary emotional rawness, throughout this film that make it a must-see. It is a tough and harrowing watch but it is more than worth it for the unique and intimate perspective it provides.