Maryam Ebrahimi’s moving documentary follows wounded veterans in northern Syria, highlighting resilience, sisterhood, and the lasting scars left by the fight against ISIS.

Maryam Ebrahimi‘s documentary The Phantom Pain of Rojava offers an intimate look at the lives of Kurdish veterans recovering from the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the autonomous region of Rojava in northern Syria.

The film opens with the funeral of a female military commander, where women carry the coffin and bury their fallen comrade with their bare hands—a tradition symbolizing solidarity among women in Rojava. Observing the ceremony, Ebrahimi reflects on the remarkable bond shared by the women, describing their sense of sisterhood as deeply inspiring.

Rather than focusing on the battlefield, the documentary centers on a rehabilitation home for injured veterans. Among its residents is Fadakhar, who lost both legs during the war and continues to suffer from phantom limb pain that disrupts his nights. However, the film places particular emphasis on the women who fought against ISIS, many of whom left their villages to join the resistance more than a decade ago.

One of the documentary’s central figures is Sorkhin, an Iranian Kurdish commander known for rescuing Yazidi women and girls who had been enslaved by ISIS. Despite her military reputation, Sorkhin is portrayed as compassionate and deeply committed to women’s rights. “Everything I have done is for women,” she says in the film. “I want women to live as human beings.” Even today, she remains under constant threat, as Kurdish military leaders continue to be targeted by drone strikes.

Another veteran featured in the documentary is Zarin, a skilled sniper who fought under Sorkhin’s command. After surviving a gunshot wound to the head, Zarin was left with a severe brain injury that greatly limited her ability to speak. Yet when she smiles at the camera and says, “I was wounded for democracy,” the moment becomes one of the film’s most emotional and unforgettable scenes.

Rather than presenting war through large-scale battles or political analysis, The Phantom Pain of Rojava focuses on its human cost. Through quiet observations and deeply personal stories, Ebrahimi captures the resilience of those who continue to live with both visible and invisible wounds, creating a documentary that is as gentle as it is profoundly moving.

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