📺 A haunting portrait of Syria through one family’s eyes: Adapted from the novel The Threshold of Pain by the late Syrian novelist Hassan Sami Youssef, and brought to life by director Allaith Hajjo, this compelling drama follows a solitary 40-year-old novelist as he wrestles with his past while penning his life story. Through his words, we witness a world torn between vibrant memories of the past, and a present haunted by poverty and the echoes of destruction.

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Before war changed everything, Urwa (Mahmoud Nasr) shared a home in Damascus with his family: a stern, self-made merchant father, Abu Abdo Alghoul (Salloom Haddad), who openly favors some of his children over others, a peacekeeping mother (Samar Sami) who holds the family together, and his siblings, each carrying their own burdens. There is the ambitious eldest brother Abdulkarim (Bassem Yakhour), the depression-plagued Suhail (Ahmad Al-Ahmad) who eventually flees his father’s iron fist, and Nada (Rana Karam), the beloved youngest sister who brings light into their home.

As Baghdad falls and turmoil sweeps across the Levant from 2003 to 2016, we watch as this once tight family unit unravels, each member haunted by choices they can’t undo.

Even nine years after its debut, Al Nadam stands as a masterpiece of Syrian television, painting an intimate portrait of a nation’s transformation through the lens of one Damascene family. The series’ brilliant use of color tells its own story — Urwa’s past blooms in rich, vibrant hues, while his present unfolds in stark black and white, perfectly capturing the weight of loss.

While some viewers may find the 30-episode run lengthy, the outstanding performances and intricate character development, backed by masterful storytelling, make this meditation on family, war, and regret an essential view.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can find Al Nadam on Shahid, or watch an unofficial trailer on YouTube (runtime: 8:11).

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