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Hamsa tells the story of a woman trapped in the repetitive grind of daily life under the invisible weight of societal expectations. As she oscillates between illusion and reality, her journey becomes a quiet rebellion against routine, identity loss, and forced conformity. A symbolic and introspective portrait of modern womanhood.
Directed by Aram Abdulrahim (Syria)
Capturing the essence of routine through a single actor without losing the viewer’s engagement is a challenge. In HAMSA, I explore this by presenting a woman who seems free and joyful—only for the viewer to later realize it’s an illusion.
The film symbolizes societal and patriarchal control that molds individuals to fit expectations, stripping them of identity. The protagonist’s journey is one of self-discovery and resistance, but customs and repetitive routines push her toward resignation. This surrender reflects how deeply ingrained societal forces can reshape us.
The narrative blends reality and illusion, drawing from Plato’s cave allegory and Nietzsche’s idea of “eternal recurrence,” suggesting that adapting to life might be the only way to survive it. Through fragmented perception—hallucinations, memory shifts, and imagined scenarios—the film questions: is truth found in what we see, or in breaking free from what we believe to be real?
Directed by Aram Abdulrahim (Syria)