The Cave movie review & film summary (2019)

These warm scenes between Dr. Ballour and her colleagues, like the few other moments of calm, are rare but effective. So much of “The Cave” focuses on the daily chaos these healthcare professionals contend with, the scope of which can feel overwhelming long before you see the worst of what they face. The injuries coming into the hospital become progressively worse as the bombings inch closer to The Cave. 

On some days, there looks to be more dead patients than live ones. In one gut-wrenching shot, a mother cries over the lifeless body of her son asking him why did he break her heart. Eventually, the doctors’ stoicism melts into tears over the nonstop carnage. A bold orchestral score ramps up the tension in some of the scenes, but it’s almost overkill. What the camera captures is terrible enough, especially when the documentary reaches a stomach-churning apex when it records the horror of chemical warfare, a war crime in progress and possibly on its way to contaminate the hospital. The movie needs tender moments of Dr. Ballour calming a little girl’s fears by braiding her hair or the women of the hospital having fun together just as much as it does its more somber moments.

As with the “Last Men in Aleppo,” Fayyad looks to a group of selfless heroes to tell the story of Syria that doesn’t always make international news. They are part of a portrait of many, just one example of resilience in the face of impossible odds. But they are also a testament that refutes the Syrian government’s official story that waved off allegations of chemical weapons and their allegations that the so-called rebels they were after were a threat. Here, we see the many faces of the women who are fighting to keep one more child from dying from the conflict.  

It’s quite probable that “The Cave” may leave you feeling helpless after watching it. It’s a feeling shared by many of those living it then and now. Beyond the human need to hear and see these stories, it’s a beautifully shot documentary that’s as stunning as the images are harrowing. In a sea of so much tragedy, it’s a marvel to stop and consider each individual’s experience fighting the tide.