zoë rose bryant’s review published on Letterboxd:
“The sound of our songs was louder than the bombs falling outside.”
For Sama is a heartwreching, honest, and humanistic look into life in Aleppo, told through the fierce, feminist perspective of Waad al-Kateab as she traverses through the turmoil and works alongside her doctor husband to help her fellow citizens in any way they can. The documentary analyzes the unrest from a ground-level viewpoint, with little attention given to the politics of the conflict as, instead, a spotlight is centered on the small successes her husband strives for everyday in saving lives. The handheld “home video”-esque approach to filmmaking increases the intimacy audiences feel with the excruciating events portrayed onscreen, as does al-Kateab’s decision to frame the narrative as a message for her daughter, Sama, instructing her on the life her parents lived and the struggles they survived through in Aleppo. While certainly not for the faint of heart - with stomach churching shots of suffering, wounded citizens aplenty - it is one of the most vital documentaries of the year and sure to leave an intense impact on anyone who watches.
