After Spring

The Arab Spring has hardly brought the expansion of freedom and democracy in the Middle East that so many once hoped for. Ellen Martinez's documentary underscores that unhappy reality with a look at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, which was created in 2012 as a temporary home for Syrians fleeing the civil war in their homeland but is now a virtually permanent tent city for some 80,000. After Spring records the efforts of workers at the camp, particularly Kilian Kleinschmidt, the senior field coordinator for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who attempts to maintain order and obtain essential supplies while advising on the process of seeking asylum in other countries, and local social worker Maram Alathamneh, who sees to the varied needs of residents as best she can. The emphasis, however, is on the residents themselves, who strain to build semi-normal lives while aching to return to Syria. Two are interviewed at length—a baker named Mohammed and former construction worker Abu Ibrahim, along with their families—offering poignant recollections. A special concern is for the children in the camp, who are estimated to make up more than half of the population. Attention is given not only to the modest educational opportunities, but also to the Zaatari Taekwondo Academy, which was founded in 2013 as a means of instructing youngsters in self-discipline as well as martial-arts. A moving portrait of a place that sadly embodies the pain caused by the Syrian Civil War, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)