Watch Samouni Road

Samouni Road is a powerful and emotionally charged documentary film directed by Stefano Savona which tells the story of the Samouni family and their tragic experiences during the 2008-2009 Gaza War. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and won the L’Œil d’or award for Best Documentary. The film is set in the small town of Zeitoun, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and follows the experiences of the Samouni family, who were caught up in the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. The family were living in their ancestral village and were largely farmers, tending to their crops and livestock in the surrounding fields.

On January 4th, 2009, Israeli forces entered Zeitoun as part of their military campaign, and several members of the Samouni family were killed during the ensuing violence. The documentary focuses on the experiences of several family members, including Amal and Fouad Samouni, who survived the attack but lost many of their relatives and friends.

One of the key themes of the movie is the psychological impact of war and violence on civilians. Through a series of interviews with the surviving members of the Samouni family, the film explores the trauma and grief they have experienced in the wake of the conflict. We see how the family has struggled to come to terms with their losses and how the trauma of the war continues to affect them years later.

The film is also notable for its use of animation, which adds a powerful and imaginative dimension to the story. The animation is used to create montages of the family's experiences, such as the evacuation of the village and the aftermath of the attack. This technique adds a visual richness to the movie and helps to convey the emotional impact of the events that took place.

One of the striking features of Samouni Road is its attention to detail and the care taken to document the experiences of the family. The filmmakers spent years researching and gathering material for the film, and the result is a comprehensive and moving portrait of a family struck by tragedy.

The movie also draws attention to the broader political context of the conflict, emphasizing the human cost of war and underscoring the need for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It highlights the human toll of the decades-old conflict, and the need for greater empathy and understanding between the two sides.

In conclusion, Samouni Road is a profoundly moving and beautifully crafted documentary that provides a powerful window into the experiences of a family caught up in the horrors of war. It offers a poignant meditation on the psychological impact of violence and trauma, and a searing critique of the human toll of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film is a testament to the resilience and courage of the Samouni family, whose experiences continue to resonate with viewers long after the movie has ended.