Sundance Review: All That’s Left of You offers a poignant examination of years of Palestinian suffering.

Sundance Review: All That’s Left of You offers a poignant examination of years of Palestinian suffering.

      A vast and compelling drama that begins with the establishment of the state of Israel and the resulting displacement of Palestinian families in Jaffa, and concludes just two years before the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, Cherien Dabis’ All That’s Left of You explores generational trauma on both an intimate and grand scale. Spanning over seventy years in the life of the Hammad family, orange growers who were forced off their land in Jaffa in 1948, the film serves as a lens through which to understand the decades of Palestinian anguish intertwined with the profound Jewish trauma of the Holocaust. Ultimately, the film evolves from a place of anger into a plea for reconciliation, culminating in a poignant ending that respects the weight of both generational traumas, landing in an area of unexpected complexity.

      At its core, the film depicts a family that is calm yet justifiably enraged, faced with an impossible choice: should they abandon their ancestral land or remain and hope for a change for the better? Their faith is consistently tested when even simple errands, like going out to fetch medicine, can become life-threatening in an occupied territory where young IDF soldiers conveniently dehumanize a man and his child. This sequence may reflect harsh realities but lacks the subtlety that the film aims to convey.

      The story opens in the West Bank around 1988, featuring Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman), a teenage boy caught in a conflict, spurred on by his grandfather whose orange groves were taken by the new state of Israel in 1948, despite his collaboration with the mayor on a surrender plan. Traumatized by an event from a decade earlier when an IDF soldier pointed a gun at his peaceful father, teacher Salim (Saleh Bakri), forcing him to utter unthinkable words about his mother, Noor begins to resist his elders. His involvement in an uprising triggers a series of events for Salim and his wife Hanan (writer/director Dabis) as they grapple with a deliberately complex bureaucratic process to transfer their son to a trauma hospital in modern-day Haifa, arriving only to discover they are too late.

      Spanning nearly 150 minutes and covering 75 years, the narrative explores the chain of events leading to the shooting of Noor and his choice to join the conflict. Raised by his grandfather and uprooted from their once-beautiful family orchard, Noor grows resentful of a father solely trying to safeguard his family. Salim, a boy in 1948, belongs to the middle generation, tending to a father who was imprisoned by Israeli forces and carries psychological scars from that experience. Salim also escaped amidst shelling, dealing with the trauma of being separated from his father, who hurriedly sent his family to safety in a harrowing early scene.

      By nature, Salim is not a fighter but an intellectual from a young age. A sensitive child with a love for reading, he eventually becomes a teacher. Both he and his father Sharif (played by Adam Bakri as a younger man) keep their children occupied with games, life lessons, and guidance as Sharif ages filled with rage and regret. These moments evoke memories of poignant short films from Palestine’s 2025 Oscars selection, specifically the omnibus shorts program From Ground Zero, where teachers help young people in Gaza cope with unimaginable realities through art and distraction.

      Visually striking thanks to Christopher Aoun's cinematography, the film combines the essence of an expansive saga—especially in the 1948 segments that resonate with the vibe of classic Hollywood epics—with the intimacy of a personal drama, as Salim and Hanan set aside their anger and trauma to seek spiritual solace. While the film does encounter a few missteps and moments of inconsistency, All That’s Left of You, akin to Walter Salles’ outstanding I’m Still Here, employs its lengthy narrative to impart a sense of closure as Salim and Hanan reflect on their lives, circumstances, and what they ultimately deem to be just and right. In the end, they discover comfort in their exile, choosing a path distinct from that of the elder Sharif (Mohammad Bakri as an older man) while still yearning for the past.

      Directed by Palestinian-American actress Dabis, All That’s Left of You is a stirring, empathetic drama that is likely to resonate with audiences worldwide as a film centered on internal conflict. The film shines most when focusing on Salim and Hanan as they navigate 75 years filled with a desire for peace and a consuming anger, which is both a radical and heartbreaking response.

      All That’s Left of You made its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

      Grade: B+

Other articles

Elliot Page is working on a television adaptation of Beyond: Two Souls. Elliot Page is working on a television adaptation of Beyond: Two Souls. Elliot Page is exploring his previous work to take advantage of the popularity of video game adaptations by creating a television series inspired by the supernatural mystery Beyond Two Souls. The game, released in 2013, was produced by Quantic Dream and featured Page alongside Willem Dafoe (Nosferatu). It centered around the character Jodie Holmes, a young […] The initial trailer for Andrew Ahn's The Wedding Banquet revisits an Ang Lee classic. The initial trailer for Andrew Ahn's The Wedding Banquet revisits an Ang Lee classic. Ang Lee might be taking a moment to launch his next film, as his biopic on Bruce Lee plans to commence production this year. In the meantime, one of his early classics is receiving a contemporary adaptation. The newest project from Driveways and Fire Island director Andrew Ahn is The Wedding Banquet, which features Lily Gladstone. El Dorado Film Festival Anuncia Talleres sobre Distribución, Financiación, Televisión Indie y Sonido. El Dorado Film Festival Anuncia Talleres sobre Distribución, Financiación, Televisión Indie y Sonido. The El Dorado Film Festival in Arkansas is set to begin next month, celebrating its 40th anniversary with a screening of the horror classic Fright Night, which stars and honors El. Lili Reinhart and Cooper Raiff discuss their roles as co-dependent siblings in "Hal & Harper." Lili Reinhart and Cooper Raiff discuss their roles as co-dependent siblings in "Hal & Harper." Cooper Raiff describes Hal & Harper, his independent TV series featuring Lili Reinhart and Mark Ruffalo, as his passion project — as it involves the least amount of compromise. James Sweeney discusses individuals with low self-esteem in "Twinless." James Sweeney discusses individuals with low self-esteem in "Twinless." James Sweeney’s Twinless raises the question: What occurs when you lose the one who completed you? 12 Clever Films Presented as Silly Movies 12 Clever Films Presented as Silly Movies These clever films that appear to be silly can offer either mindless amusement or genuine food for reflection.

Sundance Review: All That’s Left of You offers a poignant examination of years of Palestinian suffering.

A vast and compelling drama that begins with the establishment of the state of Israel and the uprooting of Palestinian families in Jaffa, and concludes two years before the Hamas-led assaults of October 7, Cherien Dabis' All That’s Left of You explores generational trauma on both personal and grand scales. Following over seven