Overview
A harrowing tale of survival and resilience amid chaos and loss.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- intimate
- politically charged
- serious historical viewing
- political cinema discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's stark, intimate Palestinian perspective and its ability to convey wartime brutality through a barebones confined narrative, while some found the script didactic and the editing rushed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Farha watches the surrounding catastrophe from inside a locked pantry, making restricted perception the film's central storytelling mechanism.
Fourteen-year-old Farha's transition toward adulthood is shaped by witnessing the destruction of her home and community.
The film presents the 1948 Palestinian catastrophe through a young Palestinian girl's perspective rarely represented in mainstream cinema.
Much of the film unfolds in a tiny locked storage room, where off-screen violence is experienced through sound, glimpses, and waiting.
Films like Farha, and why
The Pianist
historical drama centered on civilian trauma, political violence, and a young protagonist's loss of innocence
Grave of the Fireflies
intimate coming-of-age drama depicting wartime atrocity through a restricted civilian perspective
Quo Vadis, Aida?
politically charged historical drama portraying ethnic persecution and survival through personal experience
The Nightingale
female-centered historical drama using confined domestic space to convey systemic violence and moral terror
Movie Details
- Director
- Darin J. Sallam
- Release Date
- 2021-09-14
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (92)
Cast
- Ashraf Barhom
- Karam Taher
- Tala Gammoh
- Ali Suliman
- Sameera Asir
- Majd Eid
- Tulin Al Quran
- Lamar Al Quran
- Firas W. Taybeh
- Leanne Kathuda
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Farha about?
- A Palestinian teenager's sheltered world collapses as she witnesses the 1948 catastrophe from behind a locked pantry door.
- What is Farha like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Farha as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Farha violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Farha as graphic.
- What did critics think of Farha?
- Critics broadly praised the film's stark, intimate Palestinian perspective and its ability to convey wartime brutality through a barebones confined narrative, while some found the script didactic and the editing rushed.
- Which films are like Farha?
- Films with a similar feel include The Pianist, Grave of the Fireflies, Quo Vadis, Aida?, and The Nightingale.
- How long is Farha?
- Farha runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Farha?
- In United States, Farha is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
