Review by: Andra-Ioana Curutiu

The Short:

The documentary portrays the journey of a group of Syrian children refugees, who escape the civil war in their home country and travel to Central and Western Europe. In between, they need to pay smugglers thousands of dollars, embark on deadly seaboats, and navigate through lengthy refugee asylum procedures. A wide-opening and heartbreaking documentary, telling the story of more than 3 million children refugees who fled Syria since the civil war outbroke in 2011.

The Long:

Born in Syria is a 2016 documentary by Italian-Argentinian filmmaker and war correspondent Hernan Zin. It follows the journey of a Syrian group of children refugees who flee the civil war in their home country in hope of finding safety in Central and Western Europe. The documentary portrays many aspects of the complicated journey refugees must embark on in order to escape the terrors of war. From paying smugglers thousands of euros to traveling on deadly seaboats and being denied entry into camps, refugees need to fight for their life every step of the way. At times, the documentary is also a political piece, looking into the way European have managed the waves of Syrian refugees throughout time and the impact it had on the ground.

To watch or not to watch:

Watch it! This is one of the very few documentaries, if not the only one, that portrays in-depth the impacts of the Syrian civil war on the life of children and their stories as refugees. Since 2011, half of the 7 million Syrian refugees that fled the country are children, and Hernan Zin managed to give them a unique ‘voice’. It is also a powerful lesson for those trying to understand and get educated on the impacts of war and the journey of refugees.