Talal Derki's homeland is in disarray. He travels back to uncover the complex web Jihadists from ISIS and al-Nusra have spun in response to the enemies of God. Following the family of one minesweeper for the al-Nusra front, the film has a disturbing yet enlightening effect. This father passes his core fanatical beliefs onto his three sons. They are a tightly knit family, but the father's teachings play out in more consequential ways than he might have imagined.
The eldest son, Osama, named after the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, is particularly disruptive among his schoolmates. The two younger sons are fostered to think violence for the sake of violence is acceptable because God willed it so. It is very tragic to witness the path these boys are led down only to become part of a war machine that may never succeed against more technologically advanced world superpowers. I highly recommend watching this documentary if you want to take a much deeper look into the Global War on Terrorism and how Islamist extremists are cultured.
Review of Of Fathers and Sons
