Plot

For 40 years, Magnum photographer Larry Towell has documented the plight of the displaced around the world. In The Man I Left Behind, he captures the universal longing of people looking for a place to call their own.

Larry Towell's business card reads: 'Human Being'. And for the past 40 years, the celebrated Magnum photographer has chronicled humankind's deepest struggles. In The Man I Left Behind, the Canadian artist and folk musician reflects on his relentless pursuit of stories shaped by conflict and displacement. In The Man I Left Behind, Towell pulls from a vast archive of photos, videos, songs, and poetry to contrast the turmoil of conflicts over territory with the serenity of his own family farm. The film poignantly explores how losing land can mean losing self and is a testament to the power of bearing witness. The film ultimately portrays the profound absurdity of war.