Part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival
This intense drama set in the midst of the Syrian conflict focuses on a day in the life of an ordinary middle-class family struggling to survive amidst the surrounding chaos. Matriarch Oum Yazan (Hiam Abbass) tries to maintain a sense of order, but even she is pushed to almost breaking point when the husband of her female neighbour Halima (Dimand Bou Habboud) is shot by a sniper on his way to an interview without Halima’s knowledge, and Halima herself is sexually assaulted by government officials.
Van Leeuw’s containment of the film’s events almost entirely inside the family home, with little use of exterior footage, creates a pervasive, oppressive feeling of claustrophobia and tension. This stylistic and narrative decision also places greater focus on the minutiae of family life that makes the sudden intrusions of the conflict all the more powerful and jarring.
Ordinary events within the family, such as Yazan’s son playing tricks on his grandfather and her daughters fighting about who gets to use the bathroom first, are interspersed with the sounds of rocket fire and explosions as well as the sexual assault of Halima and the shooting of her husband. However, other indications of the effect that the conflict has on the family are more subtle. A notable example of this is the film’s opening, which shows Halima’s maid (Juliette Navis) turning on a tap in the kitchen sink, only for no water to come out. Halima’s assault is the only moment of violence that is shown in graphic detail, however, Van Leeuw’s tasteful handling of the sequence, including frequently cutting away to Yazan’s frightened family hiding in the kitchen, prevents the scene from feeling exploitative. Habboud’s highly emotional performance further helps to emphasise the desperate lengths Halima to which is willing to go to prevent her attackers from moving onto Yazan’s family and her baby. Abbass also excels as Yazan, portraying her as the outwardly stern but inwardly fragile head of the household who tries to keep the family safe, never falling into the trap of making the character appear overly shrill or demanding.
Insyriated is a gripping and sometimes harrowing look at the hardships faced by one family amidst a conflict of which many in the West have only a limited understanding.