The Cave (2019)
If there is one genre of film that I think is criminally under-appreciated I would say its documentary. Every year so many great documentaries go unnoticed and once you start to dive into the world of documentaries you quickly realize the sheer scale of the genre. In 2017 the documentary Last Men in Aleppo got released and I was so happy when I sought it out due to it receiving an Academy Award Nomination as it was one of my favorite films of that year. Director Feras Fayyad did such a wonderful job showing not just the horrific terror the citizens dealing with the conflict in Aleppo but also beautifully showed their human spirit making the movie not just a look at the violence but a touching tribute to the people dealing with it who had to push forward and find something to live for. When I head the buzz start to form around another Feras Fayyad I went out of my way to seek out the movie and had a lot of hype for it. Once again Fayyad takes a large scale conflict and focuses on a more personal perspective on the violence and suffering being faced. Amani Ballor is a female doctor in Ghouta, a smaller town in Syria which faces regular bombings and mass violence which has turned to setting up a hospital and shelter underground in caves to try and protect themselves from the violence above ground.
Just like with Last Men in Aleppo, Fayyad does a great job engaging the audience by focusing on the people being affected by these events and building a captivating narrative through them. Amani Ballor is absolutely one of the most badass people shown in media in 2019. Not only is she leading this community to a point but she is doing so with the constant judgment of those around her. As highlighted in the film many don't support her due to her stepping outside traditional gender roles for the area leading this hospital and you almost immediately get behind her and what she is fighting for. She is powerful and inspiring stepping up to any challenge she faces which can also be said about this community as a whole. Yet in showing the resilience and spirit of the community the film also doesn't lose their charisma and joy. Just like in the scene in Last Men in Aleppo when the men take their families to a carnival some of the best and most impactful moments are the scenes of kindness and joy from these people. Them blowing up gloves into makeshift balloons and celebrating their birthdays, Fayyad is showing that these people despite being badass and hardened due to the violence and struggles they faced are not broken. They still are people who just like you and I value laughing and love. So many filmmakers would cut these scenes as at first glance it goes against the overall narrative of the pain and suffering but seeing it done like this actually ends up increasing the sadness and impact of the situation. You hate having to see these people have their happiness and spirit ruined and are forced to live in overall fear.
Though that is not to say the film shies away from showing the direct result of the violence above ground. There are some truly horrific scenes throughout this movie showing just how disgusting these bombings really are. They are not attacking military bases or points of strategic importance, they are dropping bombs on civilians and children. You can see as many fictional portrays of violence against children as you want in films like Schindlers List for example but nothing will impact you more than seeing children being rushed to the hospital covered in their own blood surely to be traumatized both mentally and physically for life. This is an issue you wish you could stop with the snap of your fingers but the powerlessness of not only you as an audience but those suffering from it is just devastating. This movie overall though by design is just devastating as it should be. Once again Feras Fayyad has proven himself as a master at playing into an audience's emotions and creating a final product that deeply connects and touches the audience. If there was one thing I would have liked to see more of would be some more sit down conversations with Amani Ballor. Where we see her reactions to various events we never really sit down with her to engage her views and thoughts. I never felt like I really knew Amani Ballor to the extent that I would have liked to.
Overall though I think The Cave is another really wonderful film from Feras Fayyad who cements himself as one of the most engaging and effective documentary filmmakers of our time. This is another deeply troubling and emotional documentary that shows the suffering caused by this violence in a personal way that most films of this subject matter fail to engage. This is not a story of violence, this is a story of people suffering from violence which eats at you as you watch the film and after. If you get the chance please go out of your way to see this movie, so many documentaries go under the radar each year and this is one that deserves to be seen.
Overall though I think The Cave is another really wonderful film from Feras Fayyad who cements himself as one of the most engaging and effective documentary filmmakers of our time. This is another deeply troubling and emotional documentary that shows the suffering caused by this violence in a personal way that most films of this subject matter fail to engage. This is not a story of violence, this is a story of people suffering from violence which eats at you as you watch the film and after. If you get the chance please go out of your way to see this movie, so many documentaries go under the radar each year and this is one that deserves to be seen.