Feras Fayyad’s follow-up to Oscar-nominated Last Men in Aleppo, is a harrowing reminder that there is no end in sight to the carnage in Syria. The Cave follows day to day life in an underground hospital in besieged Ghouta.

In this landscape, there is no hope of help. The hospital and its remaining staff have been forced underground because everything overground – especially hospitals – is being targeted by Russian and Syrian regime bombs. They have limited food, few medical supplies, no anesthetic.

Not only does Fayyad capture the extreme hardship of the situation, but also the incredible character of the people he films. The protagonist of the film, 30-year old pediatrician Dr. Amani Ballor, is a working doctor and the administrator of the hospital. She continues to do her job while bombs and chemical weapons are unleashed around her – all while being told that she, as a woman, should be at home and should not be working. The surgeon, Dr. Salim Namour finds peace in the classical music he listens to on his smartphone while tending to the most horrific war wounds. Nurse Samaher, terrified that she won’t hear approaching bombers, is also concerned that her fellow hospital workers won’t be content with the food she cooks for them.

The Cave is a powerful and humbling portrait of those who risk their lives so that others might survive. Verite footage, captured by cinematographers Muhammed Khair Al Shami, Ammar Suleiman, and Mohammed Eyad, immerses us in their moments of abject despair, as well as their relentless determination to persevere. Seemingly abandoned by the rest of the world, this film highlights their unimaginable bravery and selflessness in the face of extreme danger and injustice. – Alice Kate Bristow

THE CAVE (2019)

Starring: Amani Ballour

Directed by: Feras Fayyad

Written by: Alisar Hasan, Feras Fayyad

Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films

Running time: 95 minutes

Playing: Now playing at Laemmle Royal