While going through an existential crisis, Adnan lights a cigarette as bombs fall from the sky. His wife asks, “How long can a person survive as a stranger?” Set in Syrian occupied Golan Heights, director Ameer Fakher Eldin does a masterful job at conveying the inner struggle Adnan feels as he reaches for answers in a world crumbling around him. Through slow and somber imagery, this film captures the feeling of walking through a dark tunnel unsure of what’s on the other side.

As suffocating smoke fills the screen, the plot takes a turn when Adnan comes across another stranger, injured from the war in Syria. Adnan hesitates to help him when the wounded man asks him which side he is fighting for. This is a great Syrian-Palestinian film for those who enjoy slow, poetic cinema—or, if you’re going through existential dread and need a cigarette break, this one’s for you. — NOOR GATIH