The Cave

PG-13

2019

1h 35m

Documentary

List

97%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

82%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

As Syria is brutally ravaged by war, a fearless 30-year-old aspiring pediatrician and her team work tirelessly to save lives in a secret makeshift hospital located underneath the war-torn city.

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Critics Consensus

A hard-hitting documentary with imagery as powerful as its message, The Cave poses heartbreakingly urgent questions -- and leaves them for the viewer to answer.

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John Anderson

America Magazine

The grace of someone like Dr. Ballour and her colleagues is unquestioned, endlessly valuable and deserving of all the recognition in the world. What it is not is banal. Which is what "The Cave" comes dangerously close to making it.

Jan 12, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

It's still profoundly effective film-making, but feels less true.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 9, 2019

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

Like Ballour, it has a purpose: to focus the world's attention on the suffering of Syrian people.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2019

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

The Cave is also a manifestation of the pessimism that emerged from the rubble of a devastated Siria. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 19, 2023

Full Review

Daniel Howat

Next Best Picture

The Cave gives a glimpse into the humanity that can be too easily overlooked. It also reminds us of the hope that they’re able to find even in the midst of tragedy. It’s painful, necessary, and beautifully captured.

Rated: 8/10

May 19, 2022

Full Review

Kate Robertson

Stuff.co.nz

It won't be an easy watch, but you'll be glad you did.

Jun 12, 2021

Full Review

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freeson w

The Cave follows the story of Syrian doctor Amani Ballour as she stays behind in the Al-Ghota region on the outskirts of Damascus. The documentary is a harrowing on-the-ground look at the doctors dealing with constant bombings from warplanes. The whirring sound of warplanes is a constant feature. To protect against the bombings, the doctors have built an underground cave tunnel system for the patients. This is a powerful film that shows the result of a government attacking its own people. Every time the camera cuts to an exterior shot, and I see hollowed out buildings and rubble, I have to remind myself that it's not a post-apocalyptic fictional set, but rather real life. The documentary shows the resilience of the doctors, peppered in with light moments of humanity - them celebrating Amani's birthday, or cooking. It is a powerful film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Bill

Your review will help others decide whether to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/21

Full Review

Audience Member

4.5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

dave d

If you consider yourself knowledgable about Syria and the civil war that has torn through the nation then you are certainly familiar with some of the documentaries that have come out with just harrowing footage. 'The Cave' is no exception. It's a hard and vivid watch. You wish it wasn't real. You wonder why a great nation like the US would allow these things to go on. Yet where do we go from here? Syrian film director Feras Fayyad has cobbled together a fantastic companion piece to his Oscar nominated 'Last Men in Aleppo'. What really strikes me is the treatment of women even during this crisis. We have a husband of a patient who is upset that a woman runs the hospital and even when a woman does the cooking of food that likely isn't fresh the men STILL complain. Beggars apparently CAN be choosers. The film profiles Amani Ballour, the aforementioned doc running the makeshift hospital. Look up hero in the dictionary and there's a picture of her. Final Score: 7.7/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

wayne m

The Cave is an extremely important and vital documentary about the ongoing situation in war torn Syria. It's a very concise and extremely well made film about the area of Ghouta near Damascus that was a rebel stronghold against the Syrian regime. For many years it was bombed constantly by the regime with the support of Russian fighter planes. In this environment existed 'The Cave', an underground hospital to care for the countless wounded. The main doctor is Amani Ballour. Hers is a profile in courage. Not just her daily battle to save lives but also the battle in being a women in a charge in a patriarchal society. This film is often distressing to watch, but it is a great document of this unbearable suffering.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Oscar nominated documentary highlights a female doctor during the Syrian civil war. It is very hard to watch knowing there is no good ending to it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Feras Fayyad

Director

Amani Ballour

Self

Salim Namour

Self

Alaa

Self

Feras Fayyad

Writer

Alisar Hasan

Writer

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Synopsis

As Syria is brutally ravaged by war, a fearless 30-year-old aspiring pediatrician and her team work tirelessly to save lives in a secret makeshift hospital located underneath the war-torn city.

Director: Feras Fayyad
Producer: Carolyn Bernstein, Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær, Pernille Rose Grønkjær, Ryan Harrington
Screenwriter: Feras Fayyad, Alisar Hasan
Production Co: Danish Documentary Production Aps
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing War-Related Content)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.9K
Runtime: 1h 35m

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