Written and directed by Cherien Dabis, in the Occupied West Bank of the 1980s, a Palestinian teenager is swept into a protest that changes the course of his family’s life. Reeling from its aftermath, his mother, Hanan, shares the story that led them to that fateful moment. Spanning seven decades, this epic drama traces the hopes and heartaches of one uprooted family, revealing not only the scars of displacement, but the unbreakable spirit of survival. Starring: Saleh Bakri, Cherien Dabis, Adam Bakri, Maria Zreik, Mohammad Bakri, Muhammad Abed Elrahman, Sanad Alkabareti and Salah Al Din.
Most often conflict is explored in one moment in time: the fighting, the death, the grief, the politics but with All That’s Left of You,Cherien Dabis attempts to take that conversation much further. To look at what’s happening today and trace back all the hate, the fear and displacement back to its roots. In doing so, the film asks a lot of questions about the far-reaching complications of conflict, that may take you to places you’d never considered before. It was a weighty challenge to spread a film out over several decades and multiple generations, but Dabis does well to create a consistency in the tone and style.
That’s not to say watching All That’s Left of You jump ten or thirty years ahead is the smoothest of transitions, particularly the latter. It’s tricky to get back into it when things have shifted so much, but to Dabis’ credit, she does a great job of showing how much has changed but also how much hasn’t. The way that she explores this story is deeply frustrating, in very intentional fashion. It’s not meant to be a simple, easy experience to watch how this one family again and again has their relationships, wellbeing, homes and perspectives invariably altered by these experiences of war and oppression. There’s a constant pressure, and a growing pain mixed with endless frustration, exasperation and disillusionment, and that’s built into the viewing experience in a quiet yet effective manner.
Those qualities are all portrayed extremely well by the ensemble, as this is definitely an ensemble effort. With Cherien Dabis serving multiple roles here, it feels like a very clever choice how careful she was with her character, she was involved enough and has a big part to play but could also take a step back for a lot of the scenes. It was a thoughtful design and one that does her talents a lot of justice, as it is a very emotionally driven performance. Saleh Bakri was a wonderful choice for Salim, to take a lot of the weight of this story, he gives a terrific and moving performance which basically becomes the heart of All That’s Left of You.
All throughout the film different members of the cast inject heartbreaking and touching moments. A particular highlight is Adam Bakri, in real life brother to Saleh Bakri, but here he plays the younger version of Salim’s father. He kicks things off with such passion and determination, so much so that it distinctly shows us how far there is to fall when their journey of displacement begins. That’s all then paired with some strong cinematography from Christopher Aoun, with a humble, restrained style, that also has great colour and texture.
Cherien Dabis set a sincere challenge for herself in creating All That’s Left of You and rises to that challenge in the most heartfelt, thoughtful way. She chooses not to focus on the violence, but on the ripple effect of conflict which creates generational suffering and pain. It’s interesting to see a film truly try to look at the bigger picture and the enduring consequences of displacement, rather than simply the initial struggle and fear. There’s a strong cast at work beside Dabis, it’s well shot and has an endearing, touching and understated style.
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