THE STORY – A Syrian girl’s decade-long journey to Germany and back, as she and her family face the challenges of war and life as refugees, showing both the hardships and hopes of starting anew.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Itab Azzam & Jack MacInnes (Directors)
THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes
From the beginning of “One In A Million,” one of the most impactful documentaries in recent years, filmmakers Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes give us an unforgettable glimpse into the refugee experience. Israa, an 11-year-old girl living in Turkey, reflects on how much she misses her life back in Aleppo, Syria. Memories of home fade into the rear view as Israa and her family leave Turkey, cross the Aegean Sea, and travel towards Germany in search of safety. With the sacrifice of one inner world comes displacement, exile, lost identity, and heartache in another. “War is not as hard as what comes after,” Israa narrates. These affecting words echo throughout a decade-spanning narrative filmed over ten years, across several borders and cultures. Observing Israa’s life from childhood to adulthood, “One In A Million” illuminates the many acts of defiance that shape the person she becomes.
Azzam and MacInnes avoid the conventional structure of a war documentary by focusing intently on the aftermath of destruction. Instead of recurring footage of physical ruin, we follow a chronicle of emotional and cultural shifts in personal identities. The documentary begins in 2015 with the family’s travels through Turkey and Greece, using effective cuts to black as signifiers of the uncertainty ahead. When they reach Germany, Israa becomes one of a million refugees to enter the country in 2015. Generations of families were saved that year, as we see play out from Israa’s perspective in the documentary’s final chapter. Azzam and MacInnes build an incredible sense of trust with this family, allowing them to document key chapters of their lives and to share sensitive moments of vulnerability. By letting the passage of time lead the narrative, the directors capture notable developments along the way, as freedom takes on new meaning for each family member.
The introductory chapter lays the groundwork for a father-daughter relationship that becomes the documentary’s centre of both conflict and resolution. Israa’s father, Tarek, did not want to leave the livelihood he knew. In Aleppo, he had his own falafel and shawarma place. He knew so many people and could stay up wandering the city until two in the morning. Tarek passes his definitions of community, identity, and tradition to Israa, imparting the message that she is always to remember she is an Arab from Syria. Ten months later, they are living in Cologne, embodying a dialogue between forgetting Syria and holding onto it. What does Israa like about Germany? “Democracy,” she replies. What does she know about democracy, her father asks. “Freedom.” And what is freedom? “Doing whatever you like.”
At the core of “One In A Million” is a young girl’s journey to coming of age as a child of war. In Cologne, her definition of freedom clashes with the push-and-pull of Syrian tradition. She increasingly fights for her independence and individuality, while also navigating the confusion from displacement and belonging. In an environment where her father becomes increasingly traditional, worrisome, and mistrustful, Israa is determined to be more imaginative and explore self-expression. In a household where the act of wearing makeup sparks debate and frustration, we begin to observe nuanced shifts in relationship dynamics before our eyes. The documentary follows these threads to revelations about Israa’s father that change the entire family structure as we’ve come to know it.
The filmmakers add insightful context to the household footage using solo interviews with family members, and among the most revelatory are the conversations with Israa’s mother, Nisreen. In Syria, Nisreen did not go to school. She was taken from her father’s home, got married (not out of love), and had four children. Nisreen had never been anywhere in her life until she escaped the war. Her perspective speaks to larger conversations about the sacrifices that women have made under the pressure of cultural expectations and gender roles. A little over one year after settling in Cologne, Nisreen has changed “from the earth to the sky.” Tarek is living in a refugee camp just outside Cologne. Nisreen is now doing what she wants, after years of invisibility. “There’s no need for a man, no way,” she shares. In this moment, her impactful words extend to all the women who are suffering in relationships. She fights to get rid of the fear of how she would be perceived without the social construct of a marriage.
The documentary also explores bonds formed from living through the same challenges. Eighteen months after her father’s leave, Israa feels comfortable being with her boyfriend, Mohammed, a fellow child of war. She credits him with helping her discover herself and her religion, while assuring that everything will be okay. There’s a compelling dialogue that continues to unfold between past and future, between the pull of tradition and the hope for new beginnings. The fact that Israa is making her own choices, a level of freedom her mother did not have in adolescence, speaks to how she has her whole life ahead of her.
When the filmmakers fast-forward to 2024, the regime in Syria has fallen, and Israa decides to return. There’s a powerful sense of sensitivity in watching her family return home, having given up hope of what a future here could look like. Ten years after the interview footage of 11-year-old Israa sharing that she will miss Aleppo the most, we see the destruction of this environment that had been left behind. We feel the overwhelming love for home that remained within Israa and her family, unchanging and unwavering. We see Israa connect with her father through the prism of a different perspective, evoking a generational layer of change. “One In A Million” is a brilliantly crafted documentary that radiates hope through the younger generation. Their voices are the future, and their futures will continue to inspire those who follow.
