State of Affairs

Bassam Ayachi is a Syrian man who has lived in Europe with his French wife since the 1960s, first in France and then in the Belgian capital of Brussels. His Muslim family is well integrated into Western society. When tensions mount in the Middle East and rebels rise up against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Bassam’s son Abdelrahman decides to join the Syrian resistance, to defend the country and to expel Assad. Filmmaker Stéphane Malterre followed this family closely for three intense years, accompanying the jihadist on several campaigns. But then comes the day when the young man and several comrades are killed in an attack. Following his son’s death as a martyr, Bassam decides that it is his turn to go to Syria, where he emerges as a spiritual leader – a man with many followers and many enemies. Scenes featuring Bassam in Syria are intercut with interviews with the son and daughter who stayed at home, and who now reflect on how their lives have changed so dramatically. Both tragic and controversial, this is a story about integration, fundamentalism and identity.