Remember the last time I felt such sadness and speechlessness after a film .I wish thisfilm played in the theatres as well because these are the kinds of movies that need to be seen.In its short duration, Farha portrays a heavy amount of powerful and heart wrenching emotionsthat give an insight into the tragedy of Al Nakba that took place in Palestine in 1948. Here, weget to see a story of young girl and as shattering as it might look, it’s important to remember thatthere were tens of thousands of similar and possibly more tragic stories all across thecountry.The story begins with a pleasant portrayal of a small Palestinian village where we get towitness ordinary life of the villagers with their share of hardships and joys.Children are playingoutside, people are getting married and a girl named Farha has big dreams of going to a cityschool to get a proper education. All of a sudden, the happiness and dreams are erased bybombs and gunfire while the smiles are replaced with screams, tears and terror. Farha’s fatherhides her in a provisions closet with hopes of shielding her from the horror but eventually, thehorror comes knocking at the door.
The director beautifully sets up the scenes in a balance thatallows the audience to make their own observations and pass their own judgements. The moviedoesn’t go overboard with violence and instead, creates impactful moments that will suck the lifeout of you. In between, there are periods of silence, darkness and suffocating claustrophobiathat show so much that is unspoken while allowing the audience to catch a break and ponderthe events.The acting from Karam, the girl that plays Farha, is great throughout the film as sheis able to depict hope, despair, fear and the will to live. Artistically, there are multiple smallelements like the use of lighting that provide an additional touch to this powerful film. Towardsthe end,you wont be able to move because of the music and because of a piece of history thatyou’ve just witnessed.
