Reflections on the healing power of collaborative filmmaking

Abstract

Unwritten Letters is a beautiful and complex film that can be approached from a number of different angles. In this commentary I focus specifically on a set of scenes which appear to hold a subtle but fascinating narrative revolving around a haircut which may or may not have happened and which may or may not be significant to the protagonists. The possible occurrence of a haircut stands out as a clue that potentially speaks to the power of film as a medium not only of documenting and representing modalities of healing but also of bringing forth a form of healing in itself. As a whole, Unwritten Letters tells the story of how the two directors, Max Bloching and Abd Alrahman Dukmak, met in Beirut and later in Italy and together decided to make a film about Dukmak’s situation of being a Syrian refugee trying to find a place for himself after fleeing his home country. In the film we move between scenes that show excerpts of conversations between the two directors about the construction of the film; scenes in which Dukmak reflects on his situation; scenes that feature different aspects of his life in Italy; and scenes with letters about possible futures that Dukmak could have sent to his friend Zean with whom he participated in the early days of the Syrian revolution but who later died.