Memory in Khaki

Synopsis

Following its premiere at the 2016 Karlovy Vary Film Festival, director Alfoz Tanjour’s A Memory in Khaki has garnered international acclaim for its lyrical treatment of the decades-long oppression faced by Syrians, millions of whom have been forced to flee their country and its authoritarian government because of their political beliefs. What distinguishes this gripping documentary from the many other equally lauded motion pictures that explore the prelude to and consequences of the Syrian Civil War (such as last year’s City of Ghosts and Last Men in Aleppo) is the filmmaker’s wide-ranging look at how the system of oppression associated with Bashar al-Assad’s rise to power continues to be felt today by Syrians living abroad, from Finland to France.  Symbolized by khaki, a neutral, seemingly bland color that conjures traumatic memories of blood-stained military uniforms and school clothing (part of the Assad regime’s efforts to control people’s bodies and minds), that palpable feeling of oppression is offset by the hope for a better future that each of the film’s five interviewees courageously nurtures. Stitching together several different monologues in which those far-flung individuals (including Tanjour himself) speak with heartbreaking honesty about their experiences as exiles or refugees, A Memory in Khaki will stir the emotions of anyone who has longed for the familiarity — if not always the comforts — of home.