Syrian filmmaker Mohamad Malas discusses short film ‘One of us left the photo’ THE BREAKDOWN: Syrian filmmaker Mohamad Malas discusses short film ‘One of us left the photo’

The Syrian filmmaker Mohamad Malas said: “My brother Ahmad and i have never studied cinema or filmmaking, but we are heavily inspired by theater and by filmmakers like Majid Majidi, Michael Haneke, and Abbas Kiarostami”.

The opening scene of our short film “One of us left the photo” is a table laden with different breakfast items, showing the assimilation of European and Arab cultures. The protagonist is a Syrian refugee who has fled to France, married a French woman, and started afresh in a new country. Soon, he receives an unexpected guest — his twin brother, who joins him from Syria.

As the story unfolds, we use heavy symbolism to provide clues to what is brewing between the brothers. In one scene, the protagonist looks at the camera and quotes Macbeth: “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand,” probing the audience to contemplate the moral cost of a killing.

Over the next 15 minutes, we also watch the protagonist’s resentment build. Eventually, he confronts his brother over a WhatsApp video where the brother is seen committing a war crime against civilians during the Syrian revolution.

The inspiration for the story is the trials that are currently taking place in Europe. There are refugees who arrived in Europe trying to escape the war and its atrocities, but recently we have also witnessed the presence of many Syrians who come here because of the poor living conditions in Syria. The authorities are trying to judge if those seeking asylum have been involved in war crimes in Syria.

We are asking: Does someone have the right to seek political asylum if he has committed war crimes in Syria? We don’t claim (to have the answer). We are just trying to raise a question and urging the audience to think about possible answers. Today, we see a widening gap in families and societies because of this divisive issue.

The audience will notice the frequent use of objects to symbolize a social issue. The last scene shows a dying flower pot, conveying the message that the only beautiful memory the protagonist retains of his brother is the flower pot he gifted to his hosts.