Sama

There are certain films and especially documentaries that are unable to critique, all you can do is observe. Waad Al-Kateab’s For Sama is a key example of this, focusing on Al-Kateab’sjourney in documenting her family’s time in Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War. Produced and narrated by Al-Kateab with co-directing credits going to Edward Watts, this documentary is very much her message opening the world’s eyes to the atrocities that were taking place in her home.

Starting in 2012 where the government protests initially began, For Sama documents the next five years of Waad and her husband Hamza’s time in Syria. The constant question the civilians seem to keep asking is whether they should flee or stay home. For some the answer is easy and given the amount of trauma depicted in this 100 minute film, it’s unimaginable to think how much some of these people had to endure before eventually leaving their neighbours and friends behind. However it’s not that easy for Waad and Hamza, Hamza being the lead doctor in charge of one of the few remaining hospitals set in Aleppo. But there is still a sense of guilt in Waad for not fleeing the country as soon as she became pregnant. “Will you ever forgive me,” is one of the first questions Waad asks in her narration made purely for her daughter. But instead they chose to stay as long as humanly possible, Al-Kateab capturing over 500 hours of footage all together.

For Sama bears a strict 18 rating in the UK and for good reason, some of the incidents documented in this will shock you to your core. Whilst some moments of the film such as an emergency caesarean have already gone viral across the internet, there are still plenty of things left to see that leave you angrily questioning why more isn’t being done about this. Children covered in their own blood whilst others lie on a hospital floor grieving the deaths of their younger siblings. But the most horrifying thing about this is their reactions to it, you would expect mortification but this seems to be normal to them. The opening moments of the film have the hospital staff underground after airstrikes have hit the city, but the staff try and joke about the situation at hand. Chaos ensues in the UK if a train is delayed by more than 10 minutes and yet in Aleppo they’re trying to keep spirits high whilst bombs rain down on their loved ones. Events like this should never be normalised and throwing awards and nominations at this will not be enough. It’s great that Bafta and the Academy Award’s are paying recognition to this but this isn’t a history lesson, this is now and seeing millionaires give a round of applause to war refugees is not helping the cause.

The community that Al-Kateab documents here shows the good and humane side of people. Essentially all of the hospital staff are volunteers, putting their own families lives on the line in order to help people who’ve been seriously injured by the civil war. It’s so sad to remember the propaganda that filled the UK about refugees causing a ‘breaking point’ when we see how loving and caring these innocent people are. This film is not a pleasant or enjoyable watch but it’s necessary, to hide away from seeing the truth behind airstrikes and western inclusion would be cowardly. Watch this and inform yourself of the atrocities that are being caused right now. Yet somehow even eight years later, they are still not being dealt with.