All That's Left of You: Love After Loss

posted on: Jan 21, 2026

By Rena Elhessen/Arab America Contributing Writer

The most recent project from Watermelon Pictures, debuting in theatres nationwide, All That’s Left of You, encapsulates the array of emotions experienced as a displaced person and leaves an Arab audience feeling seen. Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis bares her soul in this Arab epic, spotlighting the silent, continued grief of an Arab family through an inter-generational lens. Spanning seven decades, this film explores grief, love, and perseverance despite displacement. Having won more than 24 awards and an Oscar nomination, All That’s Left of You is a must-watch.

All That’s Left of You

The film has a run time of just under two and a half hours, yet each minute captivates you in a well-woven story that spans three generations. All That’s Left of You follows a Palestinian teenager who gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that uproots his family. The film unfolds as his mother recounts the historical, political, and emotional events that led to that unfortunate moment. 

Following the violence of the opening event, the film transitions to the mother of the teenager, speaking to the audience. In this conversation, she wants the audience to understand “why we are here”. Yet, a full scope of understanding can not be built without the historical context.

Why We Are Here

The perspective of this film is from a lesser-seen point of view. The Palestinian mother, Hannan, recounts three generations of trauma, heartache, and survival. The root of this history begins in 1948 and carries to the present, allowing the audience to visualize the thread of trauma as it weaves itself through generation after generation.