In Syria (2017)

Director: Philippe Van Leeuw
Stars: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bou Abboud, Juliette Navis
Runtime: 85 minutes

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 6/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: N.A.

Verdict: Written and directed by Philippe Van Leeuw, “In Syria” invites the audience to experience the horrors of the Syrian Civil War with a family trapped in their apartment as bombs are constantly falling from the sky, and snipers covering every corner of their street. This is a very unsettling film that excellently captures the inhumane treatment of innocent civilians victimized by the conflict, and this is thanks to both the mostly great performances, especially by Diamand Bou Abboud, and Van Leeuw’s direction. The Belgian director, who is better known for his cinematography skills, decided to minimize the use of music, which successfully heightened the tension and gave the movie a much more realistic atmosphere. However, while his directing skills turned out to be pretty impressive, his writing skills, on the other hand, still need some polishing. Quite a bit of cheesy lines and forced drama took me out of the picture at times, and the ending did not work for me, as I found it not as powerful as the rest of the film. Nevertheless, despite these issues, I’d still recommend watching “In Syria” simply because it’s a gutsy movie that goes places you wouldn’t expect, and explores them without holding back on anything.

Final Grade: 7/10