What to Watch: “For Sama”: A Weapon against the Regime
How a story about war can put into perspective the challenges we are facing now
How can you see beauty and ugliness at the same time?
This film uncovers the horrors in Syria, where the Assad family regime is in control. Many Syrians started to peacefully protest against the brutal treatment of the regime, from graffiti on the walls to marching through the streets. Waad al-Kateab, a journalist and mother, films everything she experiences from the revolts. She exposes how strategic and extreme the attack on the people standing against the Syrian government was.
Waad al-Kataeb opened me up to both ugliness and beauty at the same time in this brilliant series. In English class, I read about the experience of war, and how something could be both beautiful and horrendous. Simply put, I needed to see “For Sama” because, while I could not experience what she went through first hand, I could see both the ugly and beautiful truth to war.
By exposing the cruelty of the Syrian regime, al-Kateab – with her talent as a journalist – was allowed some closure with what she went through.
According to The Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz, “‘For Sama” “displays a striking buoyancy, which the film captures in moving detail – there is laughter, there is comradeship, there is life even in the face of horror.” (read full review here.)Rabinowitz understands what the film is trying to convey, which is the need for survival and relying on loved ones to survive. This film gives viewers an appreciation for life through the shed of hope buried in pain and suffering.
Charlotte O’Sullivan of The Evening Standard said: “You leave understanding why for Al-Kateab the past is something she wants to live with every day.” (read full review here.) The most powerful emotion portrayed is the love Al-Kateab had for her daughter, who she dedicated the film to. Everything she did was out of love, which reflected in the purpose of the film. The ugliness of everything happening around Al-Kateab and her family does not diminish the unconditional love she expresses. Through the horrors of death and war, there is a certain beauty to the sudden appreciation for life. Especially during these difficult times, this film changes the viewers’ perception of gratitude.
In The Times (UK), critic Kevin Maher write in his article “For Sama Review – Unbearable, Unmissable”: “Mostly, though, this is a film, skillfully pulled together by Edward Watts, the British co-director, that unfolds as a guttural cry of despair and an incendiary plea for justice. See it. But don’t take popcorn.” (read full review here)
Because of the emotional and graphic intensity in the documentary, escaping what she went through allowed Waad al Kataeb to take the beautiful films that she made from her raw talent as a journalist and utilize them to expose the regime to the outside world. She was powerless to everything else they did to her so ultimately, she said: “This film is the only weapon I have against the regime”.
During this time of quarantine, this film is a self-reflection of how one can handle this epidemic we are currently experiencing. As DHS students, this film can change our perspective of what is happening around here and allow us to appreciate each other and our community more.