Dalya's Other Country

Dalya is a teenage Syrian refugee living between two worlds. She and her family fled civil-war-torn Aleppo. Her mother and older brother relocated to Los Angeles, while her father moved to Turkey, taking a second wife. Filmmaker Julia Meltzer's PBS-aired POV documentary looks at Dalya's life over a period of several years. In many ways, Dalya is a typical teenager, playing school basketball and soccer, texting, going to the mall, and experimenting with makeup. On the other hand, she is the only Muslim student in an all-girls Catholic school, she wears a hijab head covering at all times, and she obeys her mother's rules about not mixing socially with boys. Dalya yearns for the family to be together, but she is also realistic about her father, who has firm ideas about male supremacy. Her father does come to Los Angeles to try for a reconciliation with his first wife, but finds America too modern and alienating, and finally returns to Turkey. Dalya speaks frankly about her life in America, as well as her hopes for higher education and a career. A moving and insightful microcosmic portrait of America's recurrent immigration odyssey, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)