

“In 1950s Baghdad, a schoolteacher tries to navigate the delicate balance between parenting, community harmony, and personal ethics without violence.”
An Iraqi film follows the story of the teacher, Said, as he moves from one house to another, eventually settling in the home of Azzat, a neighboring coffee seller. The film unveils the hypocrisy of the neighborhood residents who conceal malicious intentions and feign love, all the while observing signs of neglect permeating the area. When the owner of the house requests Said to leave, the residents vehemently oppose his departure. They unite against the homeowner, sparking a confrontation between Said's son and Azzat's sons, ultimately prompting Said's son to seek revenge.
Status
Released
Original Language
AR

A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

Christopher and Cathy Dollanganger live together as man and wife with Cathy's two sons who are unaware of the incestuous nature of their parents' relationship. But when a mysterious woman moves in next door and befriends the younger boy, Bart, he begins a strange transformation and displays accusatory behavior towards Cathy and Christopher. When Christopher discovers their mysterious neighbor is, in fact, his mother Corrine Dollanganger, all of the family's long-hidden secrets are revealed in a tragic climax.