Watch Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait

Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait (Ma A Al Fidda) is a moving and powerful documentary that explores the impact of the Syrian Civil War on the lives of ordinary Syrian people. The film is directed by the Syrian filmmaker Ossama Mohammed and co-directed by Wiam Bedirxan, a Kurdish Syrian woman who had been filming footage of the war from her window in Homs.

The film is structured around the correspondence between Ossama and Wiam, who had met online and began a collaborative project that would ultimately result in this film. The correspondence between the two directors is juxtaposed with footage shot by Wiam, which shows the daily life of Syrians living in the midst of a brutal and devastating conflict.

The film is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of the conflict. The first part focuses on the early days of the war, when protesters took to the streets to demand democracy and freedom from the authoritarian regime of Bashar al-Assad. We see footage shot by Wiam that captures the energy and hope of the protesters, who are filled with a sense of possibility and optimism about the future. However, this sense of hopefulness is soon replaced by fear and horror, as the regime responds to the protests with violent crackdowns.

The second part of the film is focused on the siege of Homs, where Wiam lived with her family. Wiam becomes our guide through the devastation wrought on this city, which is the site of some of the worst fighting in the war. Her footage shows the bombed-out buildings, the bodies lying in the streets, and the trauma that the residents of Homs have endured. We also see the ways in which ordinary Syrians have banded together to help those in need, in the absence of any effective government or international aid.

The third part of the film is focused on the experiences of a young girl named Simav, who lives in a refugee camp on the Syrian-Turkish border. Simav is a survivor of a horrific massacre that took place in her village, and we see her grappling with the trauma of that experience. Despite everything that has happened to her, Simav is still filled with a sense of hope for the future and a desire to live a normal life.

Overall, Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait (Ma A Al Fidda) is a powerful and thought-provoking film that offers a unique and intimate perspective on the conflict in Syria. The film is both deeply personal and politically astute, and it offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Syrians who have been caught up in a conflict that has destroyed so much. By foregrounding the voices of ordinary people, rather than focusing on politicians and military leaders, the film offers a vital and urgent corrective to our understanding of this complex and ongoing conflict.

Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait is a 2014 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes.