InSyriated

A sniper's bullet changes the mood inside a first-floor Damascus apartment in the second feature from writer/director Philippe Van Leeuw. As one might expect with a former cinematographer calling the shots, the camerawork keeps the audience at the heart of the action. But, in seeking to convey the tensions and traumas of the Syrian civil war, the Belgian film-maker over-relies on a central contrivance to drive the character dynamics. However, hiding the news that the husband of a friend (Diamand Abou Abboud) has been shot is not the only misjudged, if well-meaning decision that a mother of three (Hiam Abbass) makes in trying to protect her charges from the battle raging outside her window. Thanks to the unsettling sound design, this remains an ever-present danger, as Virginie Surdej's camera roams Kathy Lebrun's confining sets to eavesdrop on those besieged inside. Abbass, Abboud and Juliette Navis stand out from a solid ensemble, particularly after the truth about the shooting emerges shortly before two rapacious strangers breach their sanctuary. But Van Leeuw's dialogue sometimes lacks nuance, while Jean-Luc Fafchamps's mawkishly twinkly piano score is a major miscalculation.