NEZOUH

Winner of the Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival, Nezouh – which means “displacement” – follows 14-year-old Zeina and her family as they argue over whether to abandon their war-torn home in Damascus and become refugees. Even after a missile blasts a hole in their wall, Zeina’s father Motaz refuses to quit their home, vowing to protect his family. Her mother, Hala, is more realistic about the risks of staying put, including the awful possibility that Zeina could be forcibly married off to a fighter. Zeina, meanwhile, lifts her eyes to the new gaps in her ceiling and counts the stars. Sometimes she climbs onto the roof, where she befriends the boy next door who is trying to make a film with salvaged equipment. Syrian director Soudade Kaadan’s sophomore film is full of optimism and charm, yet there is no denying her anger at the damage done in her country.