At heart, this is a biography of a single man who is suddenly called to give everything he has to protect his neighborhood from the advancing Syrian Army. We watch 19-year old Basset--previously named the 2nd best goalkeeper in all of Asia--transform from a popular community leader singing songs of peaceful, pious resistance into an impressively fearless leader of a small but spirited militia group.
Though this film does not, and likely is not intended to, shed light on the entire Syrian conflict, it surely demonstrates to human toll of a war otherwise abstracted in headlines. Though these images did not shock the world out of complacency as Basset and his friends expect, they do shed light on exactly what the Syrian people have been facing for more than four years. Regardless of politics, the scale of human suffering is immense and either we have poorly understand that so far, or we are willfully callous.
The narrative of Homs is told through the eyes of a man who passionately loves his community, yet is made to watch its brutal destruction, including the death or displacement of everyone he loves and trusts. We seem him in moments of victory as well as utter torment and depression. Incredibly, through it all he continues to rally and fight in the face of total oblivion. By the final credits, every square inch of Homs and Basset himself is changed forever.
I found this film to be the singular most moving and realistic account of war I have ever witnessed. It is not easy to watch, but then, how could it be?
Though this film does not, and likely is not intended to, shed light on the entire Syrian conflict, it surely demonstrates to human toll of a war otherwise abstracted in headlines. Though these images did not shock the world out of complacency as Basset and his friends expect, they do shed light on exactly what the Syrian people have been facing for more than four years. Regardless of politics, the scale of human suffering is immense and either we have poorly understand that so far, or we are willfully callous.
The narrative of Homs is told through the eyes of a man who passionately loves his community, yet is made to watch its brutal destruction, including the death or displacement of everyone he loves and trusts. We seem him in moments of victory as well as utter torment and depression. Incredibly, through it all he continues to rally and fight in the face of total oblivion. By the final credits, every square inch of Homs and Basset himself is changed forever.
I found this film to be the singular most moving and realistic account of war I have ever witnessed. It is not easy to watch, but then, how could it be?