The movie left me painstakingly unnerved. The unrest that they have managed to portray without showing anything "on-field" as such, is just so overwhelming. The fact that they managed to build up so much out of just three or four rooms and that too in 1 and a half hour is simply unbelievable. Its emotional charge is truly heart-wrenching. It also gives us the perspectives of the people who actually, eventually get affected during these war times. Most of the movies cover soldiers, warriors, fighters, and officials but the common people, the helpless, women, and the next generations who are witnessing such brutality in their tender ages which will scar them for life... They are the ones who are equally affected, if not more.
In terms of the cinematography, I love how the camera follows a person and his/her perspective and then shifts it to another person in the same shot and then you follow that person's perspective.
A few remarkable scenes for me; the one where the mother is assuring her child of his and everyone else's safety and that the war's gonna end soon even though she has no way of knowing that. In these times hope is one of the only things that keeps you thriving and as a parent you want your child to feel secure. It was a very sacred moment for me... Very intimate and pure. All the scenes take place when the characters are looking at themselves through the mirror. Somehow I feel that whenever they're looking in the mirror, they're confronting their demons at that point in time. The first time when Delhina goes there after she's seen Samir get shot but has been compelled to keep it a secret. The second time when the mother goes there when she knows that it's immoral to keep that information from Hamila but that it's necessary at that point in time. And same applies to Hamila when she's looking in the mirror after the tragic and brutal assault that she has to go through. Every time, they are struggling with their own demons that lie within themselves. The scene where the grandfather - Mustafa is going through all the old pictures! A quote that I had read somewhere just came into my mind... "We could spend all night trading tales of lost loves. Nothing makes the past a sweeter place to visit than the prospect of imminent death..." I felt it. Hamila's mixed emotions of anger towards the culprits, as well as the mother, the disgust, helplessness and concern for her baby, at once overwhelm continuously and its manifestation is so real and yet minimalistic. I guess that's what makes it so real.
The end was just superb. The silence and the smoking spoke so much about everything... After a point, you just wish you were numb. So that you wouldn't feel so much. Because sometimes it's just way too much to bear. You wish this was all just a dream maybe. And it would just vanish one fine morning before you wake up. Or maybe you wish that you did... For in these times, that seems to be the only sensible way to be at peace.
A wartime movie set up indoors... Incredible.
In terms of the cinematography, I love how the camera follows a person and his/her perspective and then shifts it to another person in the same shot and then you follow that person's perspective.
A few remarkable scenes for me; the one where the mother is assuring her child of his and everyone else's safety and that the war's gonna end soon even though she has no way of knowing that. In these times hope is one of the only things that keeps you thriving and as a parent you want your child to feel secure. It was a very sacred moment for me... Very intimate and pure. All the scenes take place when the characters are looking at themselves through the mirror. Somehow I feel that whenever they're looking in the mirror, they're confronting their demons at that point in time. The first time when Delhina goes there after she's seen Samir get shot but has been compelled to keep it a secret. The second time when the mother goes there when she knows that it's immoral to keep that information from Hamila but that it's necessary at that point in time. And same applies to Hamila when she's looking in the mirror after the tragic and brutal assault that she has to go through. Every time, they are struggling with their own demons that lie within themselves. The scene where the grandfather - Mustafa is going through all the old pictures! A quote that I had read somewhere just came into my mind... "We could spend all night trading tales of lost loves. Nothing makes the past a sweeter place to visit than the prospect of imminent death..." I felt it. Hamila's mixed emotions of anger towards the culprits, as well as the mother, the disgust, helplessness and concern for her baby, at once overwhelm continuously and its manifestation is so real and yet minimalistic. I guess that's what makes it so real.
The end was just superb. The silence and the smoking spoke so much about everything... After a point, you just wish you were numb. So that you wouldn't feel so much. Because sometimes it's just way too much to bear. You wish this was all just a dream maybe. And it would just vanish one fine morning before you wake up. Or maybe you wish that you did... For in these times, that seems to be the only sensible way to be at peace.
A wartime movie set up indoors... Incredible.