Documentary · Review ·
One in a Million
A decade-long portrait of Israa, a Syrian girl filmed from age eleven as her family leaves Aleppo for Europe. Critics are close to unanimous: patient, intimate and deeply moving, with only a few reservations that ten years is a lot to fit in under two hours.
A film about what comes after the crossing.
Dir. Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes · 2026 · 102 min · UK / US · in cinemas and on public TV
The setup
In 2015 a girl named Israa is eleven years old and selling cigarettes on the streets of Izmir, Turkey, missing the Aleppo she left behind. Her family decides to leave for Europe. The filmmakers are already with them, and as the first act closes the family sets out across the Aegean towards Greece, bound for Germany. Reviewers describe Israa showing the camera how she is preparing for the sea crossing, and explaining that each parent has a plan to save a younger child if the boat goes over.
That is where this review stops. What makes the film unusual is the clock: Azzam and MacInnes kept filming for about ten years, so Israa is followed from child to adult. It is a BBC Storyville and FRONTLINE co-production, made with Keo Films, and it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Documentary competition at Sundance in January.
"an ambitious, affecting declaration"
Jordan Raup, The Film Stage
What works
Critics keep returning to the same strength: the film stays on one person instead of on a headline. Pat Mullen at POV Magazine calls it deeply moving and says it views the past without nostalgia or resentment. Nadia Dalimonte at Next Best Picture scores it 9/10 and praises a patient, sensitive look at a young refugee growing up. Mark Adams at Business Doc Europe finds real heart in how the directors immerse themselves in an ordinary family's life.
The ten-year span matters. A film made in one year can tell you what happened; this one is built to show what comes after, and several reviews single that idea out as its centre. The Metacritic average sits at 85 from seven reviews, all of them positive, with Variety, Next Best Picture and Vulture at 90.
What doesn't
Under two hours is not much room for ten years. Raup writes that the time leaps and episodic structure make some arcs feel patchwork, and that the runtime cannot fully cover every person it introduces. Dalimonte's one complaint is the other side of the same coin: she wants more news of the family. If you like your documentaries tidy and conclusive, this one will leave you with questions.
Is this for you?
Tap what applies. It is a rough guide, not a verdict.
Where to watch
In the UK the distributor Dogwoof lists cinemas from 6 November, with some venues starting later. Listings for the US give 21 October, and FRONTLINE and BBC Storyville, the film's co-producers, are named as broadcast partners, though no broadcast dates were confirmed. Availability varies by country, so check your local cinema listings or broadcaster before you plan an evening around it.
Sources
- Jordan Raup, The Film Stage
- Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
- Nadia Dalimonte, Next Best Picture
- Mark Adams, Business Doc Europe
- Metacritic (scores and excerpts from Variety, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, Vulture)
- Dogwoof and FRONTLINE for release and production details