Insyriated (2017)

Directed by: Philippe Van Leeuw | 85 minutes | drama, war | Actors: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bou Abboud, Juliette Navis, Mohsen Abbas, Moustapha Al Kar, Alissar Kaghadou, Ninar Halabi, Mohammad Jihad Sleik, Elias Khatter, Husam Chadat, Issan Dib, Orwa Khultum, Madjd Tarabay

Many films have been made about the war in Syria, in all kinds of genres. Highly acclaimed documentaries such as ‘The White Helmets’ (2016), ‘City of Ghosts’ and ‘Last Men in Aleppo’ (both 2017), but also feature films such as ‘Brothers’ (2017) by our own Hanro Smitsman choose the complex conflict in Syria as subject. The Belgian cinematographer and director Philippe van Leeuw (known for ‘La vie de Jésus’, 1997 and ‘Stable Unstable’, 2013) chose a female perspective of the war for his drama film ‘Insyriated’ (2017). He lets his viewers see and experience the events through the eyes of three women. They are three women who are locked in a partially destroyed apartment in Damascus, where daily attacks are committed and where snipers are lurking. Van Leeuw made such an impression at the Berlin Film Festival with ‘Insyriated’ that he took home the Panorama Audience Award. The film manages to hold up a mirror to its audience: what is morally acceptable in times of war?

At the center of it all is the energetic mater familias Oum Yazan (Hiam Abbass), a true control freak who desperately tries to keep her family together and has no intention of running out of her house because of the lurking enemy. And so they just eat together at the table three times a day, as if nothing is wrong. Then they talk a little louder, to rise above the gunfire and the bombing. There is hardly any water, the connection with the outside world is regularly cut and every step they take outside the firmly barricaded door carries enormous risks. Um Yazan tries to make the best of her three children, her old father-in-law (Mohsen Abbas), her eldest daughter’s boyfriend (Elias Khatter), and the faithful maidservant Delhani (Juliette Navis), as she awaits her return. from her husband. In the apartment, a young couple, whose house was destroyed by the attacks, has also found a safe place with their baby. Samir (Moustapha Al Kar) and Halima (Diamand Bou Abboud) plan to flee to Beirut that same evening with their son. When Samir wants to slip out the door to take care of the last few things, Delhani sees that he is hit by a sniper in the parking lot in front of the building. She confides in Oum Yazan and he decides not to tell Halima for the time being, in order to protect her. But is she making the right decision…?

By having the film set in one apartment, Van Leeuw successfully creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. These people are trapped like rats in their own homes because of the war. Any sound they hear is suspicious. Who knocks on the door there; is it Oum Yazan’s long-awaited husband, or are they evil figures? What sounds do they hear in the apartment above them? In no time at all, Van Leeuw draws us into the paranoid world of his characters and we feel, just like them, locked up, insecure and desperate. As if we ourselves are in Damascus, in the middle of the war. Extreme conditions lead to extreme behaviour, which is what ‘Insyriated’ wants to underline here. In a particularly oppressive and intense scene, in which it is difficult not to turn your head away from powerlessness and dismay, Van Leeuw shows how difficult it is to make a decision when it is a case of life and death. If you can save the group with it, is it morally justifiable to sacrifice one of your people?

‘Insyriated’ is carried by three strong actresses, who each draw the film in their own way. The experienced Hiam Abbas is perfect for the role of the proud and combative Oum Yazan, who is committed to protecting her family; she may appear controlled and in control, but she is guided by her fears. Diamand Bou Abboud is the vulnerable Halima, with whom you sympathize in a heartbreaking way. Being a mother of a young baby is not easy, especially in wartime. But the fact that her surroundings leave her in the dark about her husband’s fate is unacceptable. Not to mention the terrible trauma inflicted on her later in the film. Juliette Navis as Delhani is the conscience of the film; she knows what is morally the right thing to do, but accepts her role as a maidservant and faithfully follows her employer. Three beautiful female roles, each convincingly acted; what movie do you see that in?

‘Insyriated’ manages to reduce the complexities of the war in Syria to human proportions and underlines once again that in times of war we can be faced with enormous moral dilemmas, forcing us to make choices we would never make otherwise . Penetrating drama with three powerful protagonists!