This film was one I had high hopes for. The billing as the film which won best picture in Israel was touted as a complex look at the interconnected conflicts between Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Israel and the occupied territories.
It was, but it was also rather confusing for me as a westerner. I had trouble distinguishing who was supposed to be representing what group, and the film started with a linear storyline but quickly split into many parallel stories which eventually intersected in ways I am still not clear about.
I would have to see this again, and take notes as to the relationships and identities of each character. What got in the way for me also was the way the film was perpetually backtracking like a less clever version of Memento. When it did backtrack the film didn't follow through so that one knew for sure it had. I mean the flashbacks never returned to an established point in the present.
At the end it seemed to bring all of the relationships and situations together. I couldn't help thinking of the joke, "they all look the same" which was said about white folk in the film OSS 117 last night. I felt like the characters in this film looked so much alike and had so much in common in culture and habit that the only way I could tell who was what was by the parenthetical notations on occasional subtitles. (Arabic) or (Hebrew) for example.
The acting appeared superb, but since I was reading subtitles and struggling to keep my head above water with following the multiple plot lines, I hardly had time to notice. I was a bit exhausted when the credits rolled.
But maybe that's the point at the heart of the film. The differences between these cultures were so insignificant that one cannot tell them apart without a cheat sheet or family tree. Considering that all trace their lineage back to Abraham, one might argue that they are part of the same divided family. That was fully in my mind as I watched the film, and could have got in the way of the message of the film.
What that message was is unclear to me. I do sense a great sense of mournful sadness about the conflicts between these cultures, the violence, and the hopelessness of relations which we hear about so often. It's timely that our country is currently making another push toward a cease fire between Israel and Palestine, and that the concept of a free Palestinian state is being suggested.
I mean, that's what Israel fought for themselves. Shouldn't they understand this? Christians are adopted into the faith tradition of Abraham, and should be more aware of the historical nature of the conflict and instead of focusing on proselytizing, they might work toward mediation and objectivity. I'd think that they could find some common interests to pursue for the sake of peace.
Regardless, this film didn't work for me after one viewing. I struggled to watch this film. But it would be worth a second careful screening. I'd love to hear the thoughts of the director about the motivation and the use of a regressively additive storyline.
The film puts forth a rather grim story which can loosely be seen as a prophetic warning about the violent end which all these cultures will meet if a peaceful solution to normalize relations doesn't become the top priority. It's not simple, and the film does not suggest solutions.
It's a film which should be followed by a talkback session or a table discussion. It's got to be interpreted by a group of individuals, I think. It was too much for me to grasp alone.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077262/
No comments:
Post a Comment