A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea

If Doaa’s story is about her search for purpose in her life, then Bassem’s role is to show her that there is more to life than hard work and determination. A successful business owner, a former solider, and the love of Doaa’s life, Bassem’s story is tragic. In Syria, he was a successful barber and the owner of his own salon. In many respects, he represents the success which Doaa’s father could never achieve. But he loses everything. His brother dies in the civil war and Bassem cannot return to Syria without risking his life. He travels to Egypt and meets Doaa. He falls in love with her and the thought of being with her gives him a new outlook on life. For months, he tries to convince her to accept his proposal and eventually she says yes. The months that Bassem and Doaa spend together are perhaps the happiest in their lives. Even against the backdrop of rising violence toward Syrians in Egypt, the two spend their evenings talking together and dreaming of a better future. They fall deeply in love and cannot imagine being apart. It is this love which motivates them to flee to Europe. They need to make the journey for their own future. They make the mutual agreement and, after several failed attempts, they board a boat. When this ends tragically and the two fall into the water, Bassem eventually dies. But before he passes, he repeatedly asks Doaa for forgiveness and proclaims his love for her. He dies believing that the accident was his fault, that he brought Doaa onto the boat with him. Though Doaa forgives Bassem, he begins to hallucinate in his final hours and it is not clear whether he truly understands that the woman he loves does not blame him for their suffering. For all of Bassem’s success, he dies worried that he has doomed the woman that he loves. Amid the countless tragedies of the lives of the refugees, Bassem’s personal tragedies seem even starker and more punishing than most. 

Doaa’s mother Hanaa is perhaps the most important figure in the family. While Shokri is the patriarch and the breadwinner, it is Hanaa who truly understands her children. She recognizes in Doaa the kind of headstrong, determined attitude which is almost impossible to change. She truly understands Doaa, so much so that she knows better than to try and reason with the girl when Doaa makes up her mind. When Doaa demands that they visit their relatives’ house despite the fighting in the street, for instance, Hanaa recognizes her daughter’s emotive state. She acquiesces to the request and spends a frenetic few hours dodging bullets in the street. But while this might have made her see Doaa in a negative light, Hanaa never stops caring. When Doaa develops a medical issue, it is Hanaa who leads her through the same dangerous streets. No matter the circumstances, no matter the events of the past, Hanaa’s love and devotion to her children is unwavering. She understands her daughter better than anyone else, which is why she does not try and prevent Doaa and Bassem from making the dangerous journey to Europe. While her daughter and son-in-law are crossing the sea, Hanaa cannot help but worry. She searches for any rumor and is desperate for news. When none comes, she begins to fear the worst. When she finally hears from Doaa, she recognizes the pain in her daughter’s voice. Hanaa does not press Doaa to tell her the truth about Bassem but understands that something is wrong. Even hundreds of miles away, Hanaa can intuit her children’s emotive state. She does not think about testing Doaa’s delicate emotional state so is content to allow her daughter to mourn in peace. Even though she is desperate for information, Hanaa prioritizes her daughter’s well-being, just as she would for any of her children.