People get into politics either for power or for duty, and it seems like Maryam “Doskha” Tayeb wants to get into politics for the latter. She tells the person behind the camera that she’s doing it “so they can’t write laws that will suppress us”. That statement goes hand in hand with her complex history. She gets the name “Doshka” from one of the weapons she used as she fought with the rebels to free her country, Libya, from Muammar Gaddafi. She then “switched sides,” fighting against the rebels as the latter group decided to kill her ‘pro-Gaddafi’ brother Haroun.

Gaddafi, for less than half of this two hour documentary, is a ghostly presence hanging around the Tayeb family. But most of After A Revolution depicts the siblings and, occasionally, their father, live their strange lives. At some points, Doshka is in Tunisia while Haroun is rebuilding a Sufi shrine back in Libya. And at other points they’re both on their separate houses taking care of their children. There is the strange feeling that some of these domestic scenes feel like filler. Maryam is also pregnant in some scenes and smoking in others, making me wish that the camera showed whether or not both are happening at the same time.

It also feels like A Revolution focuses more on Doshka than Haroun but in fairness she’s the more interesting sibling. But even if that balance in this diptych isn’t 50/50, the documentary covers the breadth of their experiences. Doshka takes a selfie after making a speech at the Swiss branch of the United Nations, while Haroun participates in the most flirtatious political debate in recently film history. The siblings have their share of ups and downs. And the film ends showing what people do despite of enduring the worst times.

After A Revolution has its Hot Docs premiere on April 30, 2022.