Dalya's Other Country 2017
Distributed by Good Docs
Produced by Julia Meltzer and Mustafa Rony Zeno
Directed by Julia Meltzer
DVD, color, 75 min. (theatrical version)
General Adult
Muslims, Immigration
Date Entered: 12/08/2017
Reviewed by Barb Kundanis, Longmont Public Library, Longmont, COWhen Dalya moves to Los Angeles in 2012 from Aleppo with her mother, she is enrolled in an all-girls Catholic high school. This documentary tells the story of her high school years and her adjustment to living in America. She adapts to Catholic school as a Muslim and continues to wear her hijab. The hijab becomes a cultural identifier for her and her previous life in Syria. Her parents are divorced but her father continues to be an influential force in her life even though he does not live in the U.S.
This is an intimate look at being an immigrant in the United States and how to balance one's original culture with the new. It is also the story of a girl's coming of age contrasted by what it means to be a woman in both societies. Director Meltzer captures a time in Dalya's life that many teens will relate to. This film will help viewers understand the immigrant experience through Dalya's eyes.