All That’s Left of You, written and directed by Palestinian American director Cherien Dabis, tells a multi-generational saga about a Palestinian family displaced from their home. The story begins in 1948 and concludes in 2022.

All That’s Left of You is an intimate look through the eyes of one family into how Palestine has been besieged and its people driven away from their homeland.

Here’s a basic outline of the story.

In 1948, Sharif (Adam Bakri with Mohammad Bakri as the older Sharif) led a prosperous family with large orange groves. During the Nakba, the orange groves were bombed and Sharif sent his family away. When he joined them later, they were living in reduced circumstances.

Jump to 1978. Sharif’s son Salim (Seleh Bakri) has grown up and marries Hanan (Cherien Dabis). Salim is a teacher. They have 3 children, one of whom is Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman as an adult). Noor sees his father give in to the bullying demands of Israeli soldiers. He rebels against his parents and the dangerous political and military situation they are caught in.

Jump again to 1998 when Noor is old enough to join demonstrations in the street as a protestor. The only person he respects and listens to is his grandfather Sharif.

Jump again to 2022, as the elderly Salim and Hanan return to the West Bank to revisit their homeland. They live exiled in Canada.

That’s a very streamlined version of events in this complex story. The film is two hours and 25 minutes long. There are moments of fast action and danger, moments of love and joy, moments of loss and grief. It’s a complete unveiling of a family’s life over a period of about 75 years of conflict and turmoil.

The structure of this story reminded me of the earlier I’m Still Here, another years-long family sage. Although very different in nature, the structure was the same.

All That’s Left of You is meant to show us the humanity and importance of the displaced and war-torn people of Palestine. We don’t hear their side of the story very often, which makes this an important film for that reason alone. The film’s title is meaningful, but it would spoil the tension of the family’s story to reveal it here.

After years of preparation, the film was ready to shoot in Gaza just as Israeli bombs began to fall. The production was moved to Jordan, which is why this film became Jordan’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards.

So far the film is only in theaters, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for it on a streamer soon. It’s a tender and touching story about life, hope, and determination.