Almost Certainly False (2025): Review and Summary

“Almost Certainly False” feels like a preview to a movie you could love as it presents a slightly different take on the refugee experience.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Almost Certainly False” Film Details

Runtime: 20 Minutes
Release Date: January 30, 2025
Initially Available On/Via: Film Festival – Sundance
Advisory Film Rating: Not Rated
Genre(s): Drama, Young Adult, Non-English (Turkish), Non-English (Arabic)
Director(s): Cansu Baydar
Writer(s): Cansu Baydar

Summary

Both Hanna and Nader live in Turkey, awaiting to head further east into Europe, after leaving Syria. Till then, Nader continues to be a pre-teen, getting on Hanna’s nerves, and while Hannah may be forced to take care of her brother, she is 21 and tries to carve out opportunities for fun whenever she can – despite her circumstances.

Character Descriptions

Hanna (Rahaf Armanazi)

Rahaf Armanazi appears in Almost Certainly False by Cansu Baydar, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Hanna is a 21-year-old young woman living in Turkey as a refugee who works at a nail salon during the day and takes care of her brother at night as she awaits instructions from her parents regarding where the family may settle long term.

Nader (Isa Karatas)

Nader (Isa Karatas) – Almost Certainly False

Nader is Hanna’s little brother who is mostly focused on making some money for sweets and getting a loose tooth out.

Review

On The Fence

  • The Kind Of Short You Want Expanded On, Because Not Enough Happens [79/100]

Overall

Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (Divisive)

In many ways, we love “Almost Certainly False” for it brings the refugee experience to view but doesn’t present what we usually get, which is someone relocating to a western country. But, what can feel unfortunate at times is that you don’t get to see much of Turkey or its culture or hear about Syrian life and culture, even if from Nader’s eyes or what Hanna knew. With that, many things operate assuming you understand what these people are going through.

Fine. But, to add a layer, there is this desire to know Hanna better, especially as she makes certain decisions on a night she goes out, but it’s a short. One that, like many, makes you crave more and hope for more, but it sadly will be years from now if that ever does come to fruition. Hence, we have mixed feelings about “Almost Certainly False.” It’s likable, but it is a slice of life short that drops you into Hanna and Nader’s life and snatches you out in such a way that it makes you feel more like a voyeur or nosy neighbor than someone invited into these characters’ lives.

Content Information

  • Dialog: Cursing
  • Violence: Noting Notable
  • Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
  • Miscellaneous: Smoking

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.