Beginning from a photo taken during the Lebanese civil war in 1982 in the refugees camps Sabra and Shatila, where thousands of Palestinians had been massacred, Ghassan Halwani’s film talks about all the “Missing Persons” and their families, but in a manner that is not too intrusive. It addresses what happened there and then, but also what happens everywhere in the world in similar circumstances. We are made to understand fully the complexity of wars.

In Lebanon, certain ”Missing Persons” are granted this status for having been killed by „the right people” (Israelis), however those who have been killed by Lebanese people have never been either taken into account or accounted for. Officially, they are still alive despite being known to be dead. Denial shrouds a large portion of Lebanese history, which therefore becomes unwritten, unsaid, but very present.

The film implicitly calls into question the way in which all our societies - not just those of dictatorships or war-ridden countries - function. Through his editing, director Ghassan Halwani places us in a position from where we can think with him. His very subtle philosophical inquest sets us in motion. (Vanina Vignal)