Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

See what’s playing
Of Fathers and Sons
Of Fathers and Sons
8.8
/10
380 Ratings

OF FATHERS AND SONS

Directed by Talal Derki
Germany, Syrian Arab Republic, 2017
Documentary

Synopsis

Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki returns to his homeland posing as a pro-jihadist photojournalist making a documentary on the rise of the caliphate. In a remote village, he meets radical Islamist leader and loving father Abu Osama, and the group of young boys—his son included—who idolize him.

Synopsis

Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki returns to his homeland posing as a pro-jihadist photojournalist making a documentary on the rise of the caliphate. In a remote village, he meets radical Islamist leader and loving father Abu Osama, and the group of young boys—his son included—who idolize him.

Our take

A standout film at the 2019 Berlinale, Talal Derki’s Oscar®-nominated documentary stuns with its fearless examination of extremism. With unprecedented access to Syrian youths militarized by terrorist training, this unnerving family portrait lays bare the loss of childhood innocence in times of war.