The film follows Yasmin, a mother of four living in a tent in the port of Athens; Samra, a widow on the Turkey-Syria border grappling with the decision to leave her children in an orphanage in hopes of giving them a better life; 22-year-old Omar, who has taken on the role of a parent for his younger brother Abed in Pennsylvania; Diaa, who has remained in Syria while tirelessly searching for her "disappeared" son; and Safwan, Yasmin's husband, who lives in temporary housing in... (Full plot summary below)
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The film follows Yasmin, a mother of four living in a tent in the port of Athens; Samra, a widow on the Turkey-Syria border grappling with the decision to leave her children in an orphanage in hopes of giving them a better life; 22-year-old Omar, who has taken on the role of a parent for his younger brother Abed in Pennsylvania; Diaa, who has remained in Syria while tirelessly searching for her "disappeared" son; and Safwan, Yasmin's husband, who lives in temporary housing in Germany and yearns to be reunited with his children.
Leave your thoughts about Simple as Water.
| Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenAn achingly poignant testament to the unwavering strength of parental and filial bonds. |
| The New York TimesClaire ShafferSimple as Water is anything but simple when it comes to its technical achievements, weaving together familiar immigrant narratives in ways that still manage to surprise and stun. |
| IndieWireRyan LattanzioYou can hardly see the scaffold of a documentary film at all. In fact, “Simple” unfolds more like a riveting neorealist drama, with no trace of the woman and her crew behind the camera, no talking heads, no filmmakerly intervention of any kind |
| VarietyDennis HarveyA graceful, touching sampler of dilemmas few viewers are likely to have experienced, even as they become ever-more-common reality for the less fortunate in many nations. |
| The PlaylistJonathan ChristianIn a vast sea of tasteless or mishandled cinematic nonfiction, Simple As Water displays the voice of a talented filmmaker, exhibits a potently important topic, and shines a light on the international plight of families who deserve to be admired for their courage. |
| User ReviewfatrabbitThis is an amazing movie. Really beautiful on all levels. It lets you be a fly on the wall in other peoples' lives. Five different stories, each showing the strength of familial bonds and the way these parents and children love each other. The breathtaking images really stuck with me - a woman stroking her son's arm; a man waiting in an airport for his family to arrive; kids sitting on the side of a road, enjoying themselves in the bleakest of settings... Let yourself dissolve into the movie. Highly recommended. |
