‘All That’s Left of You’ Review: Bringing Hope Amidst Devastation

All That’s Left of You tells the powerfully moving story of a Palestinian family across three generations in the occupied West Bank. What begins as a forced relocation from their treasured home triggers a chain of events that devastates a bloodline through decades of crushing oppression. Their subjugation is portrayed as the root cause of a bloody conflict that continues to dominate global headlines. Yet the solemn and heartbreaking journey undertaken also reveals glimmers of hope, with startling acts of kindness emerging in the face of unthinkable loss. Hatred and vengeance can be overcome by embracing our shared humanity, even amongst bitter enemies.

An aged Hanan, portrayed by Cherien Dabis, who also wrote and directed the film, speaks to an unseen character off-screen. She explains that what happened can only be understood in a historical context. We then cut to the West Bank in 1988 with her son, Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman), running through the streets with his best friend Malek (Rida Suliman). They gather with other teenagers as Israeli tanks and soldiers move to impede the massing crowd. Anger and resentment explode into a riot as the Palestinians start hurling rocks.

Another flashback occurs to 1948 with Noor’s grandfather, Sharif (Adam Bakri), walking through his orange groves in Jaffa. He returns to his wife, Munira (Maria Zreik), and their children as they sit for dinner at home. Shelling and gunfire can be heard in the background. Salim (Salah El Din), their youngest son, trembles in fear with each aftershock. Sharif comforts him by reciting poetry and playing silly games, but is clearly frightened. A radio update has news that Zionist militias are advancing towards them. Munira remains confident that the Arab armies will surely win the fight.

30 years later, in 1978, an older and scarred Sharif (Mohhamad Bakri), regales young Noor (Sanad Alkabareti) with tales of their beautiful oranges and the memory of his beloved Munira. Those words ring hollow as he stares in disgust at their cramped and dilapidated apartment. A grown Salim (Saleh Bakri) listens to his father with concern. He must go to the doctor and get medicine for him. Hanan, his wife, warns that it’s near curfew. Salim thinks the Israeli army has lifted the curfew for today. He’ll take Noor with him on the trip, so they shouldn’t have any problems.

Sundance Institute

All That’s Left of You pulls no punches in depicting the terror and aftermath of displacement in a searing first act. Sharif, a proud farmer with deep connections to his land, could never have imagined his family’s fate as refugees. It was unthinkable that everything he held dear could be uprooted in a swift instant. A young father’s dreams are irrevocably broken with beatings, imprisonment, and starvation. The prosperity he envisioned for his children became fantasies of a former life. What they had and took for granted was gone, but never forgotten as the seeds of anger flourish in a new generation.

Salim worries that Sharif’s nostalgia only makes their current situation worse. He needs to protect his family and pacify the Israeli soldiers, but is viewed as weak and cowardly by Noor. He grows up fueled by rage and resentment with no options. His people can exist under the boot or get stomped. There’s no rational discourse with the young when their hatred burns so bright. This inevitably leads to escalating conflict against a vastly superior foe who also believes they’re fighting for their existence. The result is a cycle of death, destruction, and sorrow that can only be broken by generosity. This is the lesson that Dabis teaches in a gut-wrenching climax that dramatically alters the film’s trajectory.

All That’s Left of You does not give equal time to an Israeli perspective. There are no kind and benevolent soldiers here. The Palestinians survive in an apartheid regime’s misery of ID checks, roadblocks, and brutal security raids. You’ll stew with fury as Hanan and others try to get permits for medical care as the sick and injured lay dying. Dabis views Palestinian struggles through a singular lens that she believes is entirely justified. Dabis isn’t whitewashing her experiences for political correctness. This take will undoubtedly cause some audiences to discount the film as biased against Israel and label it as propaganda, but that’s not her purpose.

All That’s Left of You has a remarkable final act that packs an emotional wallop. Dabis’ intentions are laid clear with an absolutely beautiful and meaningful ending about finding a modicum of peace. Every problem may not be fixed, but common ground can be reached. Goodwill prevails through positive action. It just requires significant sacrifices to achieve.

All That’s Left of You has Arabic dialogue with English subtitles. A production of Pallas Film, Twenty Twenty Vision, and AMP Filmworks, it will have a limited theatrical release on January 9th from Watermelon Pictures.