If Only Everyone

The narrative spans the late 1990s war period and returns to the present, highlighting how events from twenty years ago continue to shape lives today. It juxtaposes battlefield memories with contemporary quests for closure, illustrating how time stitches injuries into a shared, fragile peace.

The film unfolds across the Nagorno-Karabakh region, moving from the tranquil Armenian town of Vayk toward the contested border and memories tied to Shusha. It situates ordinary lives against decades of conflict, where landscapes carry scars and cemeteries become meeting points for old enemies. The journey traces a physical boundary that mirrors emotional divisions, mapping a geography of grief and reunion.

🌳 Life and Memory

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. Characters confront grief through acts of care, transforming loss into a reason to move forward. The tree becomes a quiet symbol of continuity amid upheaval.

🕊️ War Aftermath

The war's ruin is not just a battlefield scene but a pervasive atmosphere that informs trust, friendship, and fear. The protagonists must confront the ways loyalty and ideology hardened over years. The narrative shows how former allies become strangers, then potential collaborators in healing. Past enmities are tested by present needs for empathy.

🤝 Reconciliation

Compassion bridges divides as a girl and an older man bond across cultural lines. Their shared mission to plant trees embodies a collective effort to honor the dead while choosing life. The story emphasizes listening, vulnerability, and practical acts of solidarity over grand declarations. It suggests that reconciliation emerges through simple, repeated gestures.

🗺️ Borders and Distance

The voyage crosses literal borders and the figurative lines drawn by conflict. Planting graves on opposite sides of the border underscores how communities remain connected despite separation. The film treats borders as human-made but memory as universal, inviting characters to extend empathy beyond lines on a map.