In a small village on the Syrian-Turkish border, little Sero, a Kurdish boy, begins his first year at school four decades ago. He experiences a world full of childish pranks and friendships and dreams of watching cartoons on a television. But life in his village is soon overshadowed by a darker reality when a new teacher arrives with the task of turning the children into followers of the pan-Arabian ideology. Using rigorous methods and nationalist propaganda, he confronts the children with a strange hatred for their long-standing Jewish neighbors, despite the deep friendship that Sero's family shares with them. The situation escalates as political oppression increasingly takes hold of village life. In the midst of this turmoil, Sero learns the most important lessons in life: the deeply rooted goodness in people and the strength of community, which gives hope even in the darkest of times. The film NEIGHBORS, based on the personal childhood experiences of director Mano Khalil, unfolds a multi-faceted portrait of a childhood under the shadow of the Assad dictatorship, spiced with a touch of humor and satire. It has received high honors, including the Utopia Award at the Castellinaria Film Festival 2021, and has been shown at other international festivals and won awards.
Drama
2h 4min
12 FSK
KU
EN
DE
IT
FR
A multi-faceted portrait of a Kurdish childhood under the shadow of the Assad dictatorship, spiced with a dash of humor and satire.
In a small village on the Syrian-Turkish border, little Sero, a Kurdish boy, begins his first year at school four decades ago. He experiences a world full of childish pranks and friendships and dreams of watching cartoons on a television. But life in his village is soon overshadowed by a darker reality when a new teacher arrives with the task of turning the children into followers of the pan-Arabian ideology. Using rigorous methods and nationalist propaganda, he confronts the children with a strange hatred for their long-standing Jewish neighbors, despite the deep friendship that Sero's family shares with them.
The situation escalates as political oppression increasingly takes hold of village life. In the midst of this turmoil, Sero learns the most important lessons in life: the deeply rooted goodness in people and the strength of community, which gives hope even in the darkest of times.
The film NEIGHBORS, based on the personal childhood experiences of director Mano Khalil, unfolds a multi-faceted portrait of a childhood under the shadow of the Assad dictatorship, spiced with a touch of humor and satire. It has received high honors, including the Utopia Award at the Castellinaria Film Festival 2021, and has been shown at other international festivals and won awards.