ALL ROADS LEAD TO AFRIN

The young Muscovite filmmaker Arina pays a visit to her father in Afrin, Syria, where he has started a new family. Arina is now able to meet her stepmother and half-sister for the first time, a disconcerting ordeal for her, just as disconcerting as the gunshots that can be heard throughout the night. Her father has his own things to worry about, especially when it comes to the clear and present danger that ISIS represents. On the news, he listens to reports about refugees who have perished on their way to Europe. What to do, to stay put or to go? For Arina, this crucial existential question is bound up with her own family history, which she forces her father to face over the course of their time together. This strong autobiographical debut film is both a confrontation with the father figure and a search for identity. The static camera work captures images of touching intimacy, which reflect the affectionate yet problematic relationship between father and daughter. Family drama and the theme of war on the periphery co-mingle time and again, underscored by deft editing that allows for deep glimpses into the emotional world of the filmmaker.