If Only Everyone (2012) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, primarily in the Armenian town of Vayk and the contested city of Shusha (Shushi). The story moves between these locations, tracing a journey through war-torn landscapes where cemeteries serve as meeting points for former enemies. This geographic setting mirrors the emotional divisions between communities.

• nagorno-karabakh
• vayk
• shusha
• setting
• armenia
• azerbaijan

The narrative spans from the late 1990s war period to the present day, showing how events from over twenty years ago continue to shape current lives. The film juxtaposes battlefield memories with contemporary quests for closure, illustrating how time stitches injuries into a fragile but existing peace.

• 1990s
• time period
• nagorno-karabakh war
• present day
• historical

Sasha is a young woman of Russian-Armenian heritage who travels from Russia to Armenia seeking her father's grave, lost during the 1990s Nagorno-Karabakh War. She is determined and compassionate, carrying grief with quiet strength while driving the group toward healing and closure.

• sasha
• protagonist
• daughter
• father grave
• russian-armenian

Gurgen is a practical electronics wiz with a quiet, somber demeanor who carries the weight of his war service. He served in the conflict and grapples with questions about purpose and loyalty. When Sasha seeks him out, he is forced to confront his past and find meaning through helping her honor the fallen.

• gurgen
• veteran
• war veteran
• electronics
• soldier

The Azerbaijani shepherd is a character who once lived in Shusha and lost his son to a landmine. He serves as a mirror of shared humanity, reminding the protagonists that pain and loss cross ethnic borders. His presence underscores the human cost of conflict and the possibility of reconciliation despite deep wounds.

• azerbaijani shepherd
• shusha
• loss
• landmine
• shared humanity

A birch tree planted at a grave acts as a living link between the past and present. The film treats memory as a force that both relives trauma and nourishes hope. The tree becomes a quiet symbol of continuity amid upheaval, representing life emerging from loss.

• birch tree
• memory
• symbol
• grave
• continuity
• hope

The film shows compassion bridging divides through the bond between a young woman and an older man from opposite sides. Their shared mission to plant trees embodies a collective effort to honor the dead while choosing life. Reconciliation emerges through simple, repeated gestures of listening, vulnerability, and practical solidarity rather than grand declarations.

• reconciliation
• armenian
• azerbaijani
• healing
• compassion
• solidarity

The film explores four interconnected themes: Life and Memory (through the symbolic birch tree), War Aftermath (how conflict shapes trust and loyalty), Reconciliation (compassion crossing cultural divides), and Borders and Distance (literal and figurative boundaries between communities). The central message emphasizes shared humanity over hostility.

• themes
• memory
• war aftermath
• reconciliation
• borders
• humanity

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict centers on a region in the South Caucasus that was the site of a bitter war in the 1990s between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. The film portrays how this lingering conflict continues to affect ordinary people on both sides, showing communities that communicate across the border despite their wounds and shared trauma.

• nagorno-karabakh conflict
• war
• armenia
• azerbaijan
• south caucasus

Tree planting serves as the film's central symbolic act, representing both mourning and hope. Characters plant trees at graves to honor the dead while choosing life. This ritual embodies the film's message that reconciliation emerges through practical acts of care, transforming loss into a reason to move forward.

• tree planting
• burial
• mourning
• hope
• ritual
• reconciliation

The film treats borders as human-made constructs that separate communities despite their continued connection. Planting graves on opposite sides of the border underscores how families remain linked despite political separation. The journey crosses both literal borders and figurative lines drawn by conflict, inviting characters to extend empathy beyond lines on a map.

• borders
• division
• separation
• map
• journey
• connection