The Syrian Civil War is in its seventh year and shows no signs of ending. Considering that the U.S. media has no interest in sending its cameras to the frontlines, this documentary and others such as Last Men in Aleppo (VL-1/18)—capturing the carnage and suffering that takes place in Syria—are the only way that people can witness the war up-close. Filmmaker Yuri Maldavsky focuses his camera on a family in Aleppo living in the section of the city under rebel control. Maintaining a family in a war zone is an uncommon challenge, to be certain, and this one faces complex questions regarding whether to actively participate in the fight against the national army. And, of course, there is the question of what kind of emotional damage is being done to the children in this hostile landscape. Maldavsky provides a riveting look at a seemingly ordinary household in the extraordinarily violent environment created by despotic Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Syria: Children at War
(2017) 52 min. DVD: $225. DRA. Film Ideas. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 33, Issue 5
Syria: Children at War
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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