Sarah Beddington’s moving documentary details a Palestinian refugee’s journey to her hometown in Lebanon.
Fadia Loubani lives in Bourj el-Barajneh, one of the 58 UN refugee camps in Beirut. She has known director Sarah Beddington for 15 years. A conversation between them leads Beddington to accompany Loubani on a journey back to her family’s village, Sa’Sa’, on the border between Palestine and Lebanon – a place she had long been barred from travelling to. There is a legend about a mulberry tree there, a possible landmark for Loubani to find her home.
Acknowledging the region’s troubled past – even being confronted by someone when they hear her British accent – Beddington has created a film that grapples with this complexity with rare intelligence and compassion. But Beddington wisely ensures that Loubani’s story remains front and centre, the emotional weight of her journey the heart of this involving film.
