January 16, 2026
FILM: ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
DIRECTED BY: CHERIEN DABIS
STARRING: CHERIEN DABIS, MOHAMMAD BAKRI, SALEH BAKRI
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
At the start of All That’s Left of You, two boys, Malek and Noor are running through a Palestinian street. The movements and action suggest that of early 21st Century films such as Slumdog Millionaire and City of God. They’re all culturally specific stories but ultimately highly relevant and well-directed works of art. This one is written and directed by Cherien Dabis, who is American born but has Palestinian ancestral roots. Here she also takes on the role of Hanan, who tells the story of her family’s history from the Israeli takeover of their hometown in Palestine in 1948 to the present day. It’s a moving, timely, and deeply emotional film that is epically told.
After the initial scenes of Malek and Noor, we encounter an aged Hanan who takes us back to the origins of the story. Sharif (Adam Bakri) lives with his wife and children in the city of Jaffa. He’s a successful businessman who has one of the largest orange groves in the region. Disturbingly, the town is bombed, and the family must take shelter in their home. Other Arabs flee the city and eventually Sharif sends the others to a relative’s home for safety. This leads to a lengthy and difficult period for Sharif as he is taken to a prisoner’s camp before being able to reunite with his family.
The story then jumps ahead to 1978 when Sharif is living with his son Salim and his wife Hanan. Sharif has memory issues, which may be a blessing as it keeps him from remembering his dark experiences in the past. Later, the film takes us to Malek and Noor’s story in 1988. What ultimately binds together each piece of this story is related to the film’s title. Sharif has, for better or worse, left behind his memories of the past. He is a shell of the man he once was. Similarly, a key character suffers a horrifying blow during a street protest, and also becomes only a portion of what he once was.
Then there is the town of Jaffa itself. What it was, before the occupation, is nothing but a distant memory to all that survived. It has become something completely different but with sparse reminders that the family’s roots are still present in small, heavily fractured ways.
The film is thus raising questions about what happens to the innocent people who survive a hostile land takeover. How does it affect subsequent generations? At one point a character notes, when you “hurt one person, you hurt everyone.” That is certainly the lingering effect on the Palestinian people. Is it possible to bridge the gap between oppositions that occurred in the past? Can former enemies come together and offer something to each other in the present?
The storytelling of Cherien Dabis both behind and in front of the camera should be commended for the high wire act of recreating several time periods through the detail-oriented production design, costumes, and a solid choice of actors, several of whom seem to have come from the same acting family. She tells a story which is certainly relevant to all that has happened between Israel and Palestine in recent years and fills in many of the gaps of its history during the 20th Century.
All That’s Left of You was Jordan’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year. It made the Academy’s short list of 15 films vying for the final five nomination spots. It opens theatrically in limited release today.
FILM: ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
DIRECTED BY: CHERIEN DABIS
STARRING: CHERIEN DABIS, MOHAMMAD BAKRI, SALEH BAKRI
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
At the start of All That’s Left of You, two boys, Malek and Noor are running through a Palestinian street. The movements and action suggest that of early 21st Century films such as Slumdog Millionaire and City of God. They’re all culturally specific stories but ultimately highly relevant and well-directed works of art. This one is written and directed by Cherien Dabis, who is American born but has Palestinian ancestral roots. Here she also takes on the role of Hanan, who tells the story of her family’s history from the Israeli takeover of their hometown in Palestine in 1948 to the present day. It’s a moving, timely, and deeply emotional film that is epically told.
After the initial scenes of Malek and Noor, we encounter an aged Hanan who takes us back to the origins of the story. Sharif (Adam Bakri) lives with his wife and children in the city of Jaffa. He’s a successful businessman who has one of the largest orange groves in the region. Disturbingly, the town is bombed, and the family must take shelter in their home. Other Arabs flee the city and eventually Sharif sends the others to a relative’s home for safety. This leads to a lengthy and difficult period for Sharif as he is taken to a prisoner’s camp before being able to reunite with his family.
The story then jumps ahead to 1978 when Sharif is living with his son Salim and his wife Hanan. Sharif has memory issues, which may be a blessing as it keeps him from remembering his dark experiences in the past. Later, the film takes us to Malek and Noor’s story in 1988. What ultimately binds together each piece of this story is related to the film’s title. Sharif has, for better or worse, left behind his memories of the past. He is a shell of the man he once was. Similarly, a key character suffers a horrifying blow during a street protest, and also becomes only a portion of what he once was.
Then there is the town of Jaffa itself. What it was, before the occupation, is nothing but a distant memory to all that survived. It has become something completely different but with sparse reminders that the family’s roots are still present in small, heavily fractured ways.
The film is thus raising questions about what happens to the innocent people who survive a hostile land takeover. How does it affect subsequent generations? At one point a character notes, when you “hurt one person, you hurt everyone.” That is certainly the lingering effect on the Palestinian people. Is it possible to bridge the gap between oppositions that occurred in the past? Can former enemies come together and offer something to each other in the present?
The storytelling of Cherien Dabis both behind and in front of the camera should be commended for the high wire act of recreating several time periods through the detail-oriented production design, costumes, and a solid choice of actors, several of whom seem to have come from the same acting family. She tells a story which is certainly relevant to all that has happened between Israel and Palestine in recent years and fills in many of the gaps of its history during the 20th Century.
All That’s Left of You was Jordan’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year. It made the Academy’s short list of 15 films vying for the final five nomination spots. It opens theatrically in limited release today.