Lamya’s Poem review: A secret animated gem blends fantasy and real war

Lamya’s Poem is a hidden gem, a movie that defies expectations for modern American animation but may resonate with fans of international projects like Cartoon Saloon’s Breadwinner. Direct-to-streaming releases are provided by Unity Productions Foundation, a nonprofit educational studio founded in 2012 by Alexander Kronemer (writer and speaker). It follows a bright young girl named Lamya (Millie Davis), who finds solace in the poetry of 13th-century scholar Rumi (Mena Massoud) after she’s forced to flee from her hometown of Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War.

The movie tackles three intertwined plotlines: Lamya’s escape from Syria, Rumi’s similar emigration after a Mongol invasion, and a meeting between the two of them in a strange fantasy world, where they encounter metaphorical beings that represent the dangers each of them faces. Each of these stories could be a full movie on their own. Lamya struggles with her hopelessness and keeps her head up. Rumi grapples with the conflict between his desire to retaliate and his dedication to poetry. The two meet again in the dream realm and they discover an under-attack city.

two hijab-wearing women praying in their apartment; one is older and the other is a preteen girl in Lamya’s Poem

When Kronemer brings them together, however, they sometimes detract from one another — especially the fantasy plotline, which occasionally undermines the characters’ individual journeys. Still, at the movie’s climax, all three threads merge, with Rumi’s poetry stringing them together, and it synergizes into a beautiful, evocative moment.

This beauty is enhanced by the stunningly designed backgrounds. Lamya’s PoemWhile the animated characters are a little sloppy, it is more noticeable than the stunningly rendered scenery. The fantastical dream world has the most eye-catching visuals, but even mundane backgrounds in Lamya’s hometown streets or Rumi’s desert trek are lovingly rendered. And that artistry isn’t reserved solely for the rosy moments. Some of the movie’s most difficult scenes — Lamya and her mother on a raft from Syria, Lamya alone in a refugee camp — resonate all the more when the scenery plays such a huge role.

an aerial view of a bustling middle-eastern market place

Lamya’s Poem draws parallels between the Syrian refugee crisis (along with the prejudice Lamya faces when she ends up in an unspecified European country) and Rumi’s own emigration from Samarkand after the Mongol invasion. Kronemer does not show any violence, even though these are important themes. His dark tales are woven together with poetry instead. Lamya repeats one particular Rumi poem about reeds cut from their source throughout the film, and as the movie progresses, the meaning behind the words becomes more and more apparent — Lamya and Rumi are both cut off from their homelands.

This idea connects them just as well as the poem, which gives them a connection that spans time. There aren’t as many poems in this movie as a story about poetry might have, but that just emphasizes the importance of the particular piece Lamya latches onto, which Rumi himself composes in the flashback. It’s a testament to the power of poetry and art, and how it links people together through time and resonates with human truths unchanged throughout centuries. Lamya’s PoemBy being unique pieces of art, you can share the transcendental effects art has.