But does the self-awareness of an art piece, a film, make up for its imperfections? If it does, does that make the filmmakers lazy? Is it a message or some self-expression? Should it be allowed or even acclaimed? I don't know, and the thing is, I don't even know if it matters or not. But, I'll assume it doesn't matter because life is short and, hey-I'm inspired. For once, I choose not to care. For once, I choose to enjoy the moment, to live in the present and to feel the things I'm supposed to feel. Again, I don't know what's right as a rule or for a fact, but I'll take your advice, I'll open the windows, I'll watch a beautiful city as its millions of parts move, in tandem, for it doesn't lie, for it doesn't self-proclaim what it isn't, for it is real.
I write this as I have the credit scene playing in the background for the third time. Fourth, maybe, I'm not sure. The ambience feels warm, the ending scene is warm, and the whole movie is warm. But, I'm terrified. I'm terrified because I don't know if it is a reflection of the truth or a prediction. Both cases are terrible, and it terrifies me that we're falling into this bottomless pit. Is it even bottomless? Am I supposed to hope for a ladder at the bottom? I don't know, and this is what terrifies me.
I thought... I thought I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. I always held the thought that Art was a tool and platform for such things, and the Idealist in me has always wished that it is indeed the case, that it is the truth that the power of a voice can grant tangible and not mere sentimentality of a feeling of power or the feeling of possessing the power to cause change even if just a step forward. I don't know if I'm on the winning side. I don't know if I'll ever be.
The contrast we're provided between the different cities is, in a way, scary because it makes me realise that maybe nothing is worth it.
At the time the movie was filmed, maybe what was considered real, what was considered honest and not call itself anything more than what it is, was, in fact, real. But, now, I am confident that it isn't. I'm confident that we can all see beyond the facade that was once an example of truth and it saddens me that we're never moving forward, that we're only falling and there is no bottom in sight.
Let us tell you the tale, of our disaster and ordeal, of the policy of our state.
Oh, our country! Looted, R*ped by ***** and his gangs. Ruled by the m*******, who plundered your wealth.
Freedom to all the prisoners, Freedom to ***** \.
Every time they kidnap one of us, the voice of truth only gets louder.
M******* m******* m*******, why!?
Are we at war or what???
*******, the agent, sold the *** to I*****. Down with *****. Down with the m rule.
Tomorrow the E******* people will bring the regime down.
Freedom
to the prisoners.
You could replace each of those censored words with many names, with many entities and will still tell the full truth.
Beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside. A part of me wished I could say I'm afraid to look inside to see the rot, but the truth is, it looks like I've always been on the inside haven't I?
When is it safe to say that nothing is worth saving, that it's okay, that it's ideal to run away and never look back?
I'm in awe because this tells the truth, and transparently transponds the conundrum as is, no filter. It doesn't lie to us. It doesn't give us hope. It gives us a voice which is A LOT.
The cinematography is beautiful. The editing is brilliant and the acting is on point. This was hard to find in order to watch, but it was worth it in every way and maybe that just gave it further value. Maybe, that's what art is, an experience... right? The dialogue was well-written, providing a loud voice for those who suffer, and the silence was even louder.
No, it doesn't have a 3 act structure. It probably doesn't have an orthodox structure whatsoever but it's real and it gets to break the rules. I kept on going back to older scenes while writing this review and I kept on realising I didn't even see the full extent of its beauty.
It's just real.
God save Gaza, Beirut, Khartoum, Baghdad, Damascus, Sanaa, Tripoli, and Cairo.
Signing out,
a pessimistic idealist, a coward who keeps pushing forward.
