Directed by Ross Domoney and Danny Mitchell, when artist Janet Biehl fell in love with radical American philosopher Murray Bookchin in the 1980s whilst editing his ground-breaking opus “The Ecology of Freedom”, she could never have imagined that it would one day take her halfway across the globe. Now, over 40 years later, Janet travels from America to the Middle East to witness something remarkable – how Murray’s ideas have ignited a female-led revolution in North-East Syria, where society is being rebuilt in the wake of victory over ISIS.
With war and conflict being simply something you see on the news in some parts of the world and the everyday experience for others, it’s never a bad time for a reminder of what many people are going through and what’s at stake. It’s not often that explorations of fighting and politics focus on women’s part to play, so it’s refreshing and important to see it in Threads of a Revolution. It’s slightly reminiscent of scenes seen in Leila and the Wolves, portraying the female experience of war and desire for equality and safety.
It’s also great to see how Ross Domoney and Danny Mitchell focus fairly little on the fighting but more so on the democratic efforts. They capture how close the violence is without needing to exploit it, letting Threads of a Revolution hold onto a tone that’s more personal. Janet Biehl provides a lovely guide through this exploration, an outsider’s perspective but one with a sincere interest in the cause. Domoney and Mitchell create a strong balance between Biehl’s connection through her late partner and the larger story.
The key focus of Threads of a Revolution remains with the women of Rojava and their fight for democracy, while Biehl acts as a conduit to connect the audience with their plight. It was undoubtedly the right choice from Domoney and Mitchell, letting the limelight stay where it’s needed. It’s a lot to fit into less than an hour but they manage to cover a decent amount of ground to show a variety of experiences and the different generations of women, each with something different to add to the fight.
Although, as it is covering a lot in a relatively short amount of time, it can feel a touch scattered. It’s moving around from place to place quite quickly, some getting more time than others, but you can see the intent to provide a rounded perspective. The style itself is nicely simple, it may come straight out of the typical documentary handbook but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s clear and concise, there’s no need for extra touches, it achieves exactly what it sets out to do.
Threads of a Revolution provides a fresh perspective on the Syrian conflict, portraying the women’s immeasurable efforts and contributions, something rarely seen. Ross Domoney and Danny Mitchell did well to blend the intimate, touching story of Janet Biehl seeing the work of her late partner being put into action, with the brave, committed women of Rojava fighting for equality and democracy. There are some ways in which it can feel slightly basic but it does a lot with the relatively little time that it has.
FilmCarnage.com 