Salam Neighbor
S7L2
Here is the link to the film 'Salem Neighbor'.
https://ffilms.org/salam-neighbor-2015/
Once you have watched the film, post a comment about something you learned or that stood out to you.
Here is the link to the film 'Salem Neighbor'.
https://ffilms.org/salam-neighbor-2015/
Once you have watched the film, post a comment about something you learned or that stood out to you.
What i've learned from this film is that no matter what you've been through and how hard it is there is always a way to start over. This people live in camps, and they've been able to rebuild a little society and make profit of it, they offer their help, they offer experience so that smaller generations will grow from it and will rebuild they're country like it was supposed to be. Every step of the way has made them stronger and kinder. They are traumatized and scared, but they don't show it, instead, they smile and bring joy to the camp. It showed me the reality and things that i could never imagine happening to me.
ReplyDeleteNM.
In this movie, the part that shocked me the most were the drawings of the children where there was blood, bombs, physical torture and tears on it. It really made me realize that even though these kids run their kite runners and smile because they're strong ... there's still a wound that will make time to recover. Even though these people are the strongest, they're humans and they try to liberate their feelings as everyone, in different ways as we have seen with Um Ali. This mother and wife used to write her feelings on the walls of her caravane and that shows how wounded she is.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've been truly shocked by the conditions of giving food to refugees. I still have this image in my head where few people threw breads to the refugees as if there were animals behind barriers. Another shocking part were the bandits who steal things to these people who don't even have food. That made me realize how bad some people can really be.
Before I watched this movie, I didn't know how organized these people were and how able they are to rebuild a new life anywhere with anything. When I write this, I'm thinking about the shops they created in their camp , the woman, Um Ali who picks up the plastic bags in order to make art and the IRC where women can have health aid, talk with each other, dance and have friends. It showed that no matter the struggles they've been through, no one will ever break their happiness, mental freedom and they love apart. These people don't need gold because their heart are made out of gold and their hands too.
Perrine Antoine
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis movie showed me that no matter how rich, powerful or respected you are, sometimes in life you just can't decide what will happen to you. You don't always choose your future, it sometimes rely on someone else. These people lost everything they knew, and became all equal and in the same situation. But seeing how they try to get back what they lost and rebuild a little society inside the camp really is admirable, especially when you see what they have been through. The help the United Nations provided was also absolutely great, with tents, food and water, schools, hospitals and overall safety. Lastely, I would not have expected such organisation in a refugee camp this big, and never expected refugees to be so friendly and helpful with strangers who don't share their misery, it was impressing to see how they accepted them in the communtiy and became friends with them, even though they have nothing in common.
ReplyDeleteThere were several things in this documentary which stood out for me, but the most important one was these people's hospitality. It would stand to reason that those who have lost so much and have to live in such a situation would react quite differently to Westerners wanting to live like them in their camps. However, the inhabitants of this camp were welcoming and quickly became friends of the filmmakers. They also seemed to have formed a strong community of neighbours, who are forged together by sharing similar experiences and loss. It is heartwarming to see how despite all their limitations they have built up an economy and engage in work and activities. The Syrians are a strong people who maintain faith and hope despite their hardships, not only in this camp but also in others and in Syria itself.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am conscious of the refugee crisis which is taking place at the moment. It is all over the media. Everyday we are shown images of massacres taking place in the middle-east, the refugees who drown in the mediterranean. However, I believe that there is a lot more than what we are shown in the news. To me, that movie shows us that aspect of the refugee crisis which is missing. This aspect is a lot more human and psychological one. Indeed, many parts (if not the whole) movie shook me, especially the ones regarding the children. For instance, the children who are scared of going to school because of the bombing trauma. The children, just like all the other refugees, who live with a constant fear for their life and the ones of their surrounding. The movie reminds me how lucky I am to be given education, and a safe place to grow up in.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the film that moved me was when a women said “It is true that we are considered refugees. Not only in Jordan, but anywhere in the world. But Syrians, even if they are refugees, are productive and hard workers. And will be creative. With anything, anywhere.” This is what we should all answer to the Europeans who claim that refugees steal their jobs and social security. As one of the filmmaker said, the aim of that movie is to “create understanding”, by showing them that these people are not a burden to our society. We must not forget that refugees bring us a lot more than they cost to our country, this is why we must welcome them. Moreover, It is our duty, as neighbour but most importantly as human beings, to help one another in the difficult times of our history. I could go on with a long list of things i appreciated and learnt from that movie, but these are the main elements of the film that deeply moved me.
Many things stood out really clearly for me in this documentary. First of all, the high contrast between the clichés of refugees around the world and the reality of what they are. Indeed, I realized that refugees are ready and willing to work hard and build a new life in a new place( at least temporarily), in order to subsist to their families needs. Then, people often say to justify the fact that they don’t welcome enough refugees, that they are a burden to the economy. In this documentary, it was clear that if the host city was ready to work hand in hand with the refugees, economic growth could be achieved.
ReplyDeleteEqually important was for me the shocking hospitality and the solidarity between refugees, when they share food, help each other, play games together. All of these things made me realize how far from reality we are sometimes when we talk about refugees, and we sometimes forget the human and emotional aspect of the refugee crisis.
Finally, the courage and strength of the refugees, who have lost everything, but still share, and are trying to recover from their traumas, like Raouf with the school issue and many others, little by little.
-Agathe
This documentary shows us an insight of a refugee camp but in truth it does much more than that. We realize, watching this movie, that even though these people have lost their homes,their family and their previous lives they remain strong. In addition the refugees are helpful and positive towards the filmmakers something that a Westerner with prejudice views would not imagine so as a result i believe the movie sensitizes the viewer and proves those pwoplw who have a negative stance towards refugees wrong . Moreover it is observed that young Raouf who loves school and wants to become a doctor is a person a European country should be open to receive and provide him wih proper education and care. This movie proves that the refugees deserve to be accepted and absorbed by society granting them at the same time safety and happiness amd receiving positive and strong-minded people that will help society and boost the economy as well. It is a shame that modern Westerners would be so negative towards people that just strive to live and have been through so much.
ReplyDeleteDimitrios Lampridis
What stood out for me in this film was the kindness of the Syrian refugees, they quickly accepted this group of filmmakers in their society and They opened op very quickly to the camera so the viewers can understand what they have been through. In addition, I found that it was very courageous from the filmmakers to change their way of life and get out of their comfort zone in order to understand the Syrian refugees.
ReplyDeleteThis documentary except of letting me have a better idea of what life in a refugee camp is like, it showed me the kindness refugees have in them. Leaving their pain and struggles aside, they welcomed with warmth the two young film makers and introduced them to their community. They found a way to deal with their traumatic experiences and tried to progress within their society created in camp, as they knew going back to "normal" wouldn't happen any time soon. It seems that this crisis unifies them , making their values stronger.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, it is a shame that these people are viewed in a negative way for society as we do not allow them to make use of their skills that would contribute to society as a whole.
The movie was also a reminder for me about the luck I have, being born in the side of the world where life is not about survival but about choosing a way to live.
This documentary shows more thant a refugiee camp , it shows how difficult life can be when you don't have the same chance to live in belgium for example. We can see that even if they have a poor life in camps they still manage to rebuild a little business(for example trades in the middle of the camp). In addition they're all helping each other for divers tasks like cooking or setting a camping tent which shows how they're unify. To finish, refugies still want to return to Syria which shows how they like their own country and that they still have hope even if they lost everything.
ReplyDeleteTôn S7frb
There were a few things that surprised me in this documentary. Firstly, it surprised me that the refugees at the camp were so open to the idea of filming inside the camp.They were very kind and open to the filmmakers.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, it stood out that the refugees started their own market in the centre of the camp. They make their own things to sell it on the market, which means that they are very creative.
Furthermore, it surprised me that the women in the refugee camp are equal to men. The women in the camp work, instead of the men and the men stay at home.
Lastly, it stood out that the refugees seem so happy while they have been through terrible things (for example, the little boy's school was bombed, a woman lost her son). They also have a lot of hope that the problems in Syria will soon end and they can go back to their homes soon.
The moment that stood out the most for me was when Ghassem says that he is 35 years old and that he has lost everything he has built so far. He has to start from scratch again. We tend to think of refugees as poor people in search of a better life but people like Ghassem and Ghoussoon were educated people who had a job but whose life were turned upside down by the outbreak of war.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Raouf is another example of how war can completely change your life. He had to leave school when he was in third grade because of bombings in his neighbourhood. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and no longer wants to attend school. The boy might never complete primary nor secondary education although his intellectual abilities have nothing to do with this.
Ana S6
The most shocking thing in this film was for me that the future of the people in Syria depends on their children’s education. The fact that just half of the children can get education, and most of the children don’t even want to go to school makes it even worse. The part where they showed how the little boy was playing on the mobile phone war games, including aggressive shooting and death, made me sad, because for children at this young age it was a normal game to play. Some don’t even know anything else than war. Abdoel Raouf touched me in a way by having such a big dream of helping people, but beforehand he has first to overcome his traumatic experience as many other children.
ReplyDeleteAlso the fact that the Syrians in the refugee camp didn’t just want to receive goods like that, but to create something and feel useful for others shows that they are trying to make the best of their difficult situation. For example they have been given a camp and they made out of it a “city” with a big market.
The fact that men could not go to work and that their women helped now to provide the money for the family is a big change. Men sometimes do now the work at home, this shows that the war made people overcome their old beliefs to get along together in life. Women become slowly equal to men.
This documentary lifted the corner of the curtain and gave us a first hand peek into the daily lives of refugees. It truly gave us a one of a kind perspective of the whole case focussing on the human sides of the crisis. People in the western world often see the refugees more as letters and statistics, words and numbers on a page representing a horrific scene far, far away, isolated from our lives and our world. the whole refugee crisis as one clump. I think the makers of this documentary acknowledged this fact. Hence they decided to show people the personal side. the emotional and individual. These are all different people with different stories. It was being emphasised by telling the stories of the people. A man losing everything by the time he was 35 or the children who had lost their education and even future because of bombings and the traumas as a result from it. At the other side of the spectrum we have the focus on the good things, firstly the sweetness of the people and how caring they truly are which is sometihng thats often forgotten about and secondly the growing equality in these camps seeing women and men grow more towards eachother which is very perculiar for many as refugee camps wouldnt be associated with equality by most people. In summary this documentary was both very educational and interesting mostly because of the focus on the individuals themselves
ReplyDeleteA sentence that i'll remember was "Thankgod someone cares" by Ghoussoon because it shows just how lonely any refugee probably feels. I apreciated the fact that this movie represented refugees as individuals, and not numbers like the media tends to.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the way nothing was "overdone" or romanticized, keeping everything very realistic but still poignant ... For me, the hope, the generosity and the creativity that all these people had even after all what they endured was something very striking...
By Emma Schønberg
What I learned from this movie is the desire of the Syrian people to go back in their country, to rebuild it after the war. In Europe, we think that Syrian want to stay in Europe but we see in this movie the opposite, they want a new educated generation for rebuild a normal life. What also surprised me is their kindness for the filmmakers. They have lived some terrible events during their escape or they have lost family but they want to help their new neighbor. The story of Raouf shocked me because he was so traumatized by the destruction of his school that he didn't want to go anymore. But his dream is to be a doctor. Children's education is a priority for the future of Syria. Martin Lemaire
ReplyDeleteThis documentary really stood out to me in several aspects. I realized that there are people suffering from such bad conditions I could never have imagined. These people lost their homes and all of their belongings with it. They have nothing left except for their clothes and, in some cases, some family members. Even though they have lost everything, they are capable of outstanding hospitality. They treated the film makers like friends, knowing that they have much better lives and a secure future. These people will spend a lot of time of their lives in camps and most of the children will have barely any access to a good education. Still, they try to cheer up themselves by spending time together and trying to overcome what happened. One could clearly see that the spirit and belief in human values are strong in the Syrian people. What also impressed me was that they were able to build a multi-million economy based on the goods that were given to them. They showed me that hope can always help, no matter how difficult the circumstances are.
ReplyDeleteWhat i learned from this movie is that with nothing people can do a lot, these people have nothing, they've left their family and home to try to have a new life, a better life. We can see how they are always smiling as if everything was okay but in reality it is not. Even if they do not have a lot to offer they try to do their best to offer as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteThis movie made me realized how life really was in refugees camp.
-anna cavallo
What I learned from this movie, is the fact that no matter what happens, I can still do the same things as I used to do and that I don't have to change according to the situation that occurred. That no change is required. I can still stay strong and continue in my passions, but in different conditions.
ReplyDeleteThis movie has encouraged me to be strong, to chase my dreams and be happy with what I have, because there are many people who have less than me and I take many things for granted, which not many people actually have.
Juliana Juričková
What i really liked about the film is that it was telling the stories of individuals. This really helped me realise how the life of these people changed drastically from one day to another and how hard it was for them to overcome this. The stories that sticked to me and made me sad were the story of Raouf who was traumatised and who was thinking like that at such a young age, but also the story of the woman who lost two sons in the war and who had none of her children with her. These people taught me something very important. When we help each other we can achieve a lot of things that we could not alone. It is important to be nice and kind to the people around you, talk to them and share your thoughts with them when you are in a difficult situation because this helps you see things from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main aspect that stood out for me in this documentary was the way the filmakers portraited the refugees. They showed the emotional and personal sides of the refugees .While watching this documentary you were embarked on the journey of these people. The horrible things they endured, the loss,the pain but also the hope that they have. It is really touching to see how strong these people are, from the younger kids to the older men and women. After everything they went trough, they are still smiling and positive, they havent given up hope on their future, a future in syria. Another thing that I realised while watching this, is that you never know what the future will bring. No matter who you are and where you come from, your life can change drastically in a blink of an eye. Like these syrian refugees, everything they knew and was familliary to them, was taken away by war. I think the most important lesson of this documentary,is how you react on this drastic change. The syrians have such a special and strong reaction on it. They keep their head high and work for a better and secured future for them and for their people.
ReplyDeleteI thought this documentary was very enlightening, not only about the living conditions in the refugee camps but also because it helped me see how lucky we all are having the lives and education that we get to experience day after day...
ReplyDeleteAn aspect that really struck me was the kindness of the people who helped and supported the filmmakers during their stay and their emotional strength, these people who had lost everything and suffered through terrible, crushing events still found the strength to rebuild their lives in a positive way, both physically and emotionally.
Max van strydonck
This movie is an open widow on the Za'arati camp. We all have seen horror scenes going on in Syria, images of people struggling on boats in the Mediterranean see etc. But it is for me the first time I have seen such a documentary. After watching this I felt very angry because of inequality around the world. I would just turn off my computer, and go back to my normal life, go back to school and complain about vain things while other people are overcoming so much obstacles. It is unimaginable how people, after all they have went through, continue tobe creative, motivated etc. People of Za'arati camp say they want to feel important so they participate into the camp life. As result they made of this camp a city with a whole economy. Yet the obstacles are not finished and sadly things are still very difficult. For me it is a great morality lesson. These people have almost nothing but yet they are still very welcoming, share and give lots of things.
ReplyDeleteAlexia Lacombe
In this film , many things stood out for me .Firstly, the fact that some people worked all their life to achieve something (e.g Afford to buy a house and to live with your kids in it ) and then have to leave their home immediately because of the bombings starting.Secondly,the UN receiving only half of the fundings from donor countries ,throughout the documentary you can see how the people are living poorly,it shooks me to know that all the fundings are not used to help them . I learnt from this movie that we are lucky to have the opportunity to live , get an education,get the basic needs .
ReplyDeleteWhat really stood out for me in this documentary is how life can drastically change in a matter of days or even hours. Most of the refugees, who now live in the Za'atari Camp, were having a descent life until the war started. The war forced them to leave their home country and everything they have and travel to the unknown. In other words they've lost everything and have to start a new life from scratch. The documentary also made me realize how strong faith can be. During a period when the refugees were economically and emotionally destroyed, faith gave them the strength to get back on their feet and continue with their lives with positive energy, an attitude share by everyone in the camp
ReplyDelete-Dimitrio Kotsis
This movie help me realized the chance that we have to been is this secure contry were eduction and food seems to be basics for lots people, but in some other contries food and education are only for rich people.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that everyone smilling even-if they realize how difficult there life actually is show us how there strongs.
On the one hand we can see that Syrians and most of the Africans country accept the Europeans/Americans, but on the other hand we can see that Europe/America doesn't really open there arms to refugees.
charles
This documentary/film is very interesting because it shows the very hard reality about the refugees life. They are very brave people, they fled their country and their homes, so they lost everything and they don't know how their future will look like. They completely change their lives unexpectedly and radically. Some people lost their faith in god, they were emotionally destroyed.
ReplyDeleteWhat really shocked me is the fact that some kids don't have the chance to go to school and that their education is seriously compromised.I also noticed the kindness of the people in the camp who help the filmmakers to build their tent and exchange with them. Kids always have a smile on their faces and shows love towards the others.
We can feel that they have hope, and with hope, we go far in life.
Aliki Sofos
After watching this film, I realised that no matter how hard your life might be, if you're a good person, you will always manage to do good things in a certain way. On top of that, we learn that the majority of the syrian refugees would actually prefer to go back to Syria and help their relatives as well as their country rather than to stay in countries they fleed to
ReplyDeleteThe movie 'Salam Neigbor' shows us how people truly live together in a refugee camp. The thing that shocked me the most is the stark contrast between the temporary life in a refugee camp and the refugees' actual desire of piecing their life back together and reconstructing their lives permanently. This essentially makes a laughing stock of those who would pretend that refugees are lazy and only migrate because they want to gain money. Not only do we see that refugees are willing to work, but that they are just like us, except that they have suffered so much; little as well as old. This movie teaches us that no matter how negative and traumatic certain events can be, there is always a way to overcome that and flourish once more.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I was very impressed by in this documentary was the resilience that some of the refugees living in the camp showed. These are people whose lives have been completely uprooted, but they still have the determination to adapt to their new surroundings, and try to make their camp into a more inhabitable place. For some, in particular women, the new beginning in the camp provides a chance to evolve and take on more responsibilities in their family and community.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found that the Syrians were extremely kind, which is impressive because it is hard to keep that sort of humanity, having gone through the horrors that they have. Indeed, those who appeared on camera seemed to want to prove that most Muslims are good people, who do not bear ill will against westerners.
Finally, I thought the documentary gave great insight into how people deal with tragedy. Indeed, there were many in the camp who, on the outside, did not seem particularly traumatised, but when the filmmakers dug a little deeper, we would find that they had in fact suffered a lot due to the war. Many also used their passions, for things such as art, as a way to express and deal with their grief.
The fact that these persons have to leave everything behind is tragic. Everything that they own, everything that they have achieved is gone, and now all they have is their family, some clothes and supplies given by the camps. War affects many innocent people that have nothing to do with the conflict. Being "pushed out" of a country, your own country, where you have lived and created experiences is something, I think, that must be devastating.
ReplyDeletewatching the documentary, there were various things that stood out to me. the kindness in which the two film makers were accepted by the refugees in the camp was surely one of them. I would have thought that people who'd been forced to abandon their homes, their families and their country under such circumstances, would not be accepting / welcoming towards those who could never even begin to imagine what it feels like to lose everything the way they did. it's inspiring to see that no matter what they went through, they never lost their hope and kindness. I admire the persistence and determination they showed in order to try and make a better life for themselves in any way they could. that strength is admirable and I find it repulsive that still, even in our days, refugees, victims of war, are treated with hostility by many, many people, as if them leaving their countries was somehow their fault or decision.
ReplyDeleteI found this documentary quite emotional. Something that I had not realy thought about before and that stood out for me was the trauma that these people have to live with. Raouf was not capable of going to school because he saw his own school get bombed. Having to live with PTSD at such a young age must be really hard.
ReplyDeleteOn an other note, what also really surprised me was the big market place at the centre of the camp. I had never thought about refugee camps having a market in their camp. It makes sense to me now, because living in a camp must be quite boring if volunteers constantly tell you what to do. It gives them some sort of freedom and a sense of what life used to be. I thought the market was quite an amazing thing.