Of Fathers and Sons

Description

Posing as a photojournalist who supports jihad, director Talal Derki takes extraordinary risks and gains vivid access to the family and life of 45-year-old Abu Osama, one of the founders of Al-Nusra, the Syrian arm of Al-Qaeda. The father of eight sons, Abu Osama is a fearsome example of those who believe firmly in violence as a means to an end. Scenes of the family’s home life are interspersed with sweat-inducing moments involving jihadi camps for kids and a family outing to defuse bombs. Though certainly chilling at times, Of Fathers and Sons (winner of a Sundance Grand Jury Prize) is also a deeply compassionate portrait of young boys who are not given options over their lives and futures.

“Nimbly edited by Anne Fabini, Derki’s collaborator on Return to Homs [SFFILM Festival 2014], Of Fathers and Sons is a film riven with contrasts and contradictions; you can engage with the family on a human level but fear the single-minded hatred passed like a baton between generations. Derki has an insider’s eye for the landscapes and an empathy for all his subjects, and his film feels personal and unfiltered.” —Allan Hunter, Screen Daily   

“Delivering on the auspicious promise of his 2013 debut, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Return to Homs [SFFILM Festival 2014], Derki’s follow-up finds him again visiting his ravaged homeland to examine the making of an anti-government force: this time not spiky rebel insurgents, but unformed young boys under the absolute influence of their Al-Nusra fighter father. The result is as despairing as any portrait of close-knit family and dedicated parenthood can be, adeptly blending sensationalism with domestic intimacy, and sincerely eye-opening in its portrayal of inherited Islamist fervor.” —Guy Lodge, Variety

Film Details