We were Communists
( Sheoeyin Kenna )

Maher Abi Samra
2010 - 90 min - HDV - France, Liban

Shade of the walls is an exploration into the fragmentation of public space in Lebanon between confessional communities, and the integration of individuals within this fragmented space. It is articulated around three characters, including the author, all previous members of the Lebanese Communist Party; their politically engaged years during the Lebanese civil war, the paths each took in the post-war society, as well as their status today as the country knocks the doors of another war.
The closeness of the three characters, friends since 1982 and up till today despite their political differences, allows for an intimate exploration of the path of each.
The film is weaved around three road trips, one by each of the characters, crisscrossed by snippets of their daily life today as well as by scenes filmed throughout the past 15 years. All three also meet in contrived scenes around their archives of the party, in the house of one of them; their old reunion space. Animated scenes, of black unconfined lines over white, support the film's expression of extreme moments in the past and the perceived future.