Memory My Is Full of Ghosts review – a haunting song about the bombed Syrian city of Homs | Video

TThe western Syrian city of Homs is a mere husk of its former glory. Formerly an industrial center, the area became a major battlefield between 2011 and 2014, for Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebels. Amid the massive bloodshed, hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced or trapped in their homes. Filmed in the summer of 2023, this poignant documentary from Palestinian and Syrian filmmaker Anas Zawahri shows the pain and sorrow that continues, even after the shooting has stopped.

The film is hauntingly shot, with mostly collages of bombed-out rubble, hollowed-out buildings, and deserted streets, the film depicts the brutality of wartime. There is stillness and stillness in the air, and almost every wall is riddled with bullet holes, urban scars that reveal the emotional wounds the survivors carry. Their heart-wrenching testimony is embedded in these images of destruction, lending a human dimension to the ruins. A resident of the building talks about how Homs changed from a city of laughter to one of sadness and grief. With bitter disgust, one considers himself lucky to be blind, and thus does not suffer the mental anguish of seeing his beloved hometown destroyed.

With sad music, the film is a beautiful, beautiful song of what Homs was. By bearing witness to the pain of being left behind, Zawahri also creates a permanent place for life, focusing on children and young people. The impact of the war on their lives is huge – many are working as adults instead of going to school, although we see them exercising, even surrounded by ruins. With their peace more disturbed than ever, their innocence and happiness are everywhere.