- Nestled high on a mountainside in the Middle East, a Syrian Druze village has survived under Israeli occupation, while 136 others like it were wiped out. Using a multi-character narrative, the film weaves its way through streets and orchards revealing how this secretive community have clung onto their land using a simple fruit-the apple.—Anonymous
- It has been 42 years since Israel captured the region and cut the village of Majdal Shams from its homeland, Syria. Before the Six Day War, this Arab village was one of 139 in the region. All but five were destroyed. Over 130,000 Syrian Arabs were forced from their homes never to return. Families that were separated at the time remain so. An impenetrable ceasefire line patrolled by the UN divides the two warring countries. The eastern edge of the village now touches this ceasefire line where a barbed wire fence separates lovers, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. Syrian soil is just out of reach, although it is a lifetime from their grasp. Separated families shout greetings to each other across the minefield dividing them. Loss and separation echo in the valley between the hills of two lands that once were one, the threat of war hanging on the horizon, closely monitored by watchtowers. 23 people are shot dead trying to cross back to their homeland. Every day is marked by the struggle to adapt and survive.
A patriotic old man tries to educate his grandchildren about the president Bashar al Assad while in school they are taught about Moses.
Borders, mines and army areas corral a shepherds roaming with his herd. His only way is west.
A daughter fights to cross the ceasefire line to attend the funeral of her father in Syria.
Torture and solitary confinement breaks the heart of a lover.
A bride crosses through a minefield to meet her groom. She will say goodbye to her family forever.
The films narrative is made up of a multitude of characters who together convey the complex nature of their existence. It is a poetic visual journey rather than a political thesis. What unfolds is a story of death, separation, war, torture, mines, love and nationalism. A stoic pragmatism prevails among the characters, which prevents them from being swallowed by their predicament. Among most is a realisation that neither Israel nor Syria is paradise but Syria is their homeland. To some Israel is the enemy and to others it is the lesser of two evils. They are too few to fight so remain trapped on their mountain as their fate is decided for them. They are pieces on a chessboard played by politicians. The apples are their bombs.
The apples of the films title symbolise their steadfastness and resistance in the face of occupation. The trees are what root them to the land. They will not be moved. Apples of the Golan is a portrait of a village and its people trying to live ordinary lives in extra-ordinary conditions.
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