An only child is a parent’s treasure, the beloved one, and the center of attention. A universal topic which director Mohamed Ben Attia chose to take to the next level.
As part of the official competition selection for the Quinzaine Realisateurs, Weldi (Dear Son) Film tells the story of a Tunisian family where the lives of Riadh (father) and Nazli (mother) revolve around that of their precious son Sami.
Sami, a hardworking student, seems to be a regular teenager going through some life changes until he suddenly disappears from the home of his parents and flees the country.
The story then follows the father’s quest to find his son, a bright man with a promising future who leaves everything behind to join ISIS. Weldi genuinely traces the tale of many saddened parents who seek their children in foreign lands after terrorist groups have recruited them.
When explaining the inspiration behind the film, director Ben Attia said: “One day, in my car, I heard a father telling his story on our national French language radio station. I don’t know how to explain it, but what he said really affected me. He kept repeating, “my son”. He was extremely precise and factual. He spoke about the airport, the plane, Turkey, the border, Syria, and so on. What moved me most was that he spoke of his journey in a way that was devoid of all pathos. He was always in the middle of the action, giving details, facts, dates... I wanted to use his story as inspiration. I quickly realized that what interested me most were not the reasons that compelled the son to leave, but the point of view of those stayed behind: his parents who hadn’t seen it coming.”
Click here for the film's trailer.
Article by G.N.
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