_For Sama_ will teach you so much about the Syrian regime / Russian siege of Aleppo that it will fill your heart to the breaking point. Syrian journalist Waad al-Kateab films her own story of falling in love at the outset of the peaceful protests against a fascist state that soon turned violent when a dozen protesters wash up dead in a river with signs of torture evident on their corpses. (Warning: al-Kateab's camera knows no censorship; there are countless scenes of mutilated bodies and there are enough images of dead children to make you wonder why you didn't do more to get involved in stopping the siege of Aleppo.) She and her doctor husband have a child and -- as the protest turns into a military offensive on behalf of the ruling party against the civilian population -- the family decide to stay in Aleppo with countless other families. Their mere presence is a sign of rebellion in a doomed revolution for a country that is their home. Al-Kateab made this film for her infant daughter, Sama, to explain what happened in the first year of her life, but the film is a brutal, beautiful and devastating lesson for a world that seems to care more about political backroom dealings than what's right. (Note: _For Sama_ won the best documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival 2019.)

A **must-see** documentary! Eye-opening and heartbreaking!

"For Sama" is a gripping documentary about Syria's civil war. It explicitly depicts all of the destruction and suffering that has occurred in disturbing footage. This is definitely not for the faint of heart. The film's framework is the first-hand account of a mother's experience, who addresses the footage to her daughter. In the end, this aspect is also the reason why the film works so well. It is not just one horrible event after another. Instead, the film has a very intimate, personal level as well. This heightens your sympathy for the people of besieged Aleppo.

An extremely shocking film from beginning to end. Worth the play.