Of Fathers and Sons Following a Radical Islamist Family in Syria
After making his Sundance award-winning documentary, Return to Homs, Talal Derki returned to Syria where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years.
His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dream is to establish an Islamic caliphate. Osama and his brother Ayman both love and admire their father and obey his words, but while Osama seems content to follow the path of Jihad, Ayman wants to go back to school.
OF FATHERS AND SONS is a work of unparalleled intimacy that captures the chilling moment when childhood dies and jihadism is born.
Nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Nominated for Best Documentary at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
"Clear, vivid and unshakeable. Sincerely eye-opening in its portrayal of inherited Islamist fervor." - Guy Lodge, Variety
Running Time
99 mins
Year
2018
Kanopy ID
6329431
Filmmakers
Features
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Comments (10)
Wow! This film will complicate your world view, regardless of your politics. And regardless of your religion, shows the extreme danger when we feel we alone hold the 'truth'.
Saddening. Poor kids.
Phenomenal. What an extraordinary picture of the human condition. Brilliant documentary.
Listen. I've been around a Very long time. .I think I know something or other about today's political climate. And THIS MOVIE, Of Fathers And Sons is VERY hard to watch. It has to do with the relationships that we have with our family and with our country and god given duties. Personally, I ...Read more
Listen. I've been around a Very long time. .I think I know something or other about today's political climate. And THIS MOVIE, Of Fathers And Sons is VERY hard to watch. It has to do with the relationships that we have with our family and with our country and god given duties. Personally, I kept comparing the characters in this film to my own relationship with my father, a great man, rest in peace. When he was only 72 he left this world with nothing but Stella. When we removed the struvite crystals from her stomach she had officially stopped grieving and continued to be the most loving cat we've ever known.
Read lessFascinating, brave documentary. Currently short-listed for Academy Award nomination this year. Well-deserved and should be a real contender.
Without a doubt one of the best documentaries to come out of Syria since the conflict started. Mandatory watching for those who want to understand jihad and life within ISIS' caliphate. The focus on the children makes absolute sense, and the long term perspective -following the family for a ...Read more
Without a doubt one of the best documentaries to come out of Syria since the conflict started. Mandatory watching for those who want to understand jihad and life within ISIS' caliphate. The focus on the children makes absolute sense, and the long term perspective -following the family for a couple of years, reveals elements that would otherwise remain concealed. 5 stars.
Read lessThis was absolutely shocking and riveting. The choice to center it around the children and the father made it so humane and yet more disturbing. A real piece of work.
This documentary was an awe shocking cold hard truth about other peoples war, it starts out about a man who believes his religions faith is the right one for all of his fellow countrymen, then ends with him losing his foot and his begotten minor Son for which he felt was right to sacrifice to ...Read more
This documentary was an awe shocking cold hard truth about other peoples war, it starts out about a man who believes his religions faith is the right one for all of his fellow countrymen, then ends with him losing his foot and his begotten minor Son for which he felt was right to sacrifice to his radical miltary! Let the Cartel and these guys fight it out, let's see who wins!
Read lessI feel for them... but at least now I feel less guilty for fighting that ideology.
They are wanting a world war yet have no modern weapons... no nukes at all!
And the women don't matter!