IMDb RATING
7.5/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 4 nominations total
Featured reviews
At one point in this film, a character looks up at the sky, expecting the inevitable sound of approaching bombs. It's a really poignant moment and encapsulates why this is such an important film to watch. For most of us, the reality is peace - for them, daily, it's war and incessant bombing. The White Helmets, the Syrian heroes who go in to save civilians, are given real heart in this short documentary. But their life of heroics is brutally brought to life by the footage they film themselves in Aleppo. It clearly shows us that what the White Helmets do is not just heroic but also necessary. A really important film to see for all those who are sick of the politics.
10Myati
Watch this. It's a shocking, horrifying, saddening film, but also one that gives you hope in humanity and makes you realize how lucky we are to live in peace. It tells you that in the darkest places in this world there is a light of good and selfishness, that true heroes do exist. I can only wish to be half as good an human being as the heroes portrait in this documentary. A must watch film, even if its a difficult one to stomach. For future generations to judge us on.
As a 1-star comment around here suggested, I did my homework on the White Helmets. Fortunately, claims that WH are terrorists seem to be unfounded and highly motivated by political reasons. Sources like Snopes - a fact-checking website, BBC, The Guardian and SBS, all agree that the accusations held against the WH are pure propaganda as there is no evidence whatsoever behind them.
This documentary, although a little "Hollywood", is a great depiction of those heroic people, risking their lives to save civilians, no matter what side they're on. It's a little short and some scenes might be staged, but in my opinion the documentary and the work of these men is truly inspirational and restores a little my hope in humanity. They deserve all the praise!
This documentary, although a little "Hollywood", is a great depiction of those heroic people, risking their lives to save civilians, no matter what side they're on. It's a little short and some scenes might be staged, but in my opinion the documentary and the work of these men is truly inspirational and restores a little my hope in humanity. They deserve all the praise!
It's funny to see how a so called "documentary" based on lies and deceptions wins an Oscar. Telling lies and deceiving people, in return people will clapping you, and hey here's your Oscar. And people loved this bs (or very small proportion). There are reportages about White helmets, by real independent journalists, you should watch them and after that review this movie. Total garbage. Shame on you!
This documentary is about the Syrian Civil Defense or "The White Helmets" as the film makers decided to name them. It focuses on the personal side of the characters trying to make the viewer perceive these people as human beings rather than numbers you hear on the news. While the film succeeds at the emotional part, it fails to offer much else. There were many repetitive scenes for a 40 min documentary, and the focus on some characters went overboard sometimes.
Now, I wrote the previous part of my review trying to be as objective as possible. The next part, I will write as a Syrian who isn't on any of the many sides of the Syrian war. What made me write this review, my first on IMDb, is that I noticed many negative reviews seeming to push a propaganda opposite to the propaganda they were claiming this film is about. Comments I have high confidence they come from Syrian Assad supporters so I thought I would try to restore the balance.
While the film clearly favors the side of the WHs, their side itself is about "saving lives" regardless of any other factors so what is there to disagree with? Some commentators said the WHs are terrorists/islamists/etc and I find that really insulting as I don't myself live in a war zone in Syria, I never heard anyone questioning or criticizing WHs. Also, common sense tells me these people don't have to lie about their intentions in a country where there are countless factions fighting. Everyone is free to have their own opinion, but when most of the 1-star reviews come from 1 review accounts I find it fishy - one reviewer stating "England" as his country starts with "Shame on the western-world", a prevalent statement in the Al-Assad regime media.
Syria is a country where many evils fight. You have Al-Assad, factions affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and finally ISIS!! Each side will try to convince you with their story, like Assad fan base in many of the comments I mentioned, but the real story in Syria is about many villains fighting over the pie of things like power/oil/location and poor people suffering in the crossfire. The only light one can find in this tragedy is people like the ones in this movie whose mandate is save lives. Thank you White Helmets!
Now, I wrote the previous part of my review trying to be as objective as possible. The next part, I will write as a Syrian who isn't on any of the many sides of the Syrian war. What made me write this review, my first on IMDb, is that I noticed many negative reviews seeming to push a propaganda opposite to the propaganda they were claiming this film is about. Comments I have high confidence they come from Syrian Assad supporters so I thought I would try to restore the balance.
While the film clearly favors the side of the WHs, their side itself is about "saving lives" regardless of any other factors so what is there to disagree with? Some commentators said the WHs are terrorists/islamists/etc and I find that really insulting as I don't myself live in a war zone in Syria, I never heard anyone questioning or criticizing WHs. Also, common sense tells me these people don't have to lie about their intentions in a country where there are countless factions fighting. Everyone is free to have their own opinion, but when most of the 1-star reviews come from 1 review accounts I find it fishy - one reviewer stating "England" as his country starts with "Shame on the western-world", a prevalent statement in the Al-Assad regime media.
Syria is a country where many evils fight. You have Al-Assad, factions affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and finally ISIS!! Each side will try to convince you with their story, like Assad fan base in many of the comments I mentioned, but the real story in Syria is about many villains fighting over the pie of things like power/oil/location and poor people suffering in the crossfire. The only light one can find in this tragedy is people like the ones in this movie whose mandate is save lives. Thank you White Helmets!
Did you know
- TriviaNetflix's first Academy Award winning documentary.
- Quotes
Mohammed Farah: Better to rescue a soul than to take one.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2017: Documentary (2017)
- SoundtracksCrashing Down Completed
Written by Gorillaz (Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn)
Performed by Gorillaz and the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The White Helmets
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime40 minutes
- Color
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