This film could have provided a powerful view into the relationships within a society that has been damaged internally by almost a century of Occupation as well as the plight of women in what sometimes remains a very patriarchal culture, and yet it was nothing more than a sensationalist thriller with no characters that were truly sympathetic, and a plot that lacked realism.
Reem was portrayed as a victim, and yet she was a very articulate woman who emasculated her husband verbally in every dialogue with him. The marriage was toxic but no other marriages were depicted. There are plenty of good marriages in Palestinian society, and there are excellent films like 'Pomegranates and Myrrh' that show a more balanced view of the problems faced by couples who live under Occupation, and how there can be mutual support and strength in adversity.
One cannot believe that a Palestinian woman would give Rohypnol to another Palestinian woman in order to force her to become a collaborator, Further, one cannot believe that the victim would not simply go to the Resistance for help rather than feeling she had no options, and walk the streets with her baby aimlessly.
What this film depicted was a society of cowards and Palestinians are anything but cowards, having remaned on the ground despite every kind of military threat including massacres over the decades. Of course the Occupation has created a society at war with itself in many ways, but a good film would have been more balanced, and given us at least one sympathetic character. It failed to do so.
Reem does not even allow her husband to show any fatherly interest in his daughter, yet she is willing to consider total abandonment of her baby in the form of suicide. When he leaves with the baby and locks the front door, she is rendered powerless,but surely she could have smashed a window.
The only moment when any character shows any dignity or courage is when the collaborator Houda goes to her execution. The fact that the male model she hired simply is set on fire but her interrogator allows her a generous amount of time to try to explain her indefensible actions somehow made me feel she was treated more gently because she was a woman!
The Resistance leader confesses he was responsible as a child for the death of his friend because he was too cowardly to own up to his actions. Is this supposed to represent the real character of the shebab? Day after day, young Palestinian boys and girls show incredible courage, honour and detemination in confronting tanks and machine guns with nothing but stones in their hands.
There is much to criticise In traditional patriarchal societies but Palestinian mothers, wives and daughters are known for their courage and loyalty in the face of unbearable horrors.
This film has garnered more attention than it deserves because of the shocking scene where Reem is shown completely nude, kmocked out by the drugs given to her by her hairdresser. Were it not for this, it would not merit even a review.
Watch '3000 Nights' or 'Eyes of a Thief' or 'Pomegranates and Myrrh' instead. There is a wealth of excellent cinema from Palestine that is both based on true facts and shows the beauty of the land and its culture as well as the problems faced by its people.
Reem was portrayed as a victim, and yet she was a very articulate woman who emasculated her husband verbally in every dialogue with him. The marriage was toxic but no other marriages were depicted. There are plenty of good marriages in Palestinian society, and there are excellent films like 'Pomegranates and Myrrh' that show a more balanced view of the problems faced by couples who live under Occupation, and how there can be mutual support and strength in adversity.
One cannot believe that a Palestinian woman would give Rohypnol to another Palestinian woman in order to force her to become a collaborator, Further, one cannot believe that the victim would not simply go to the Resistance for help rather than feeling she had no options, and walk the streets with her baby aimlessly.
What this film depicted was a society of cowards and Palestinians are anything but cowards, having remaned on the ground despite every kind of military threat including massacres over the decades. Of course the Occupation has created a society at war with itself in many ways, but a good film would have been more balanced, and given us at least one sympathetic character. It failed to do so.
Reem does not even allow her husband to show any fatherly interest in his daughter, yet she is willing to consider total abandonment of her baby in the form of suicide. When he leaves with the baby and locks the front door, she is rendered powerless,but surely she could have smashed a window.
The only moment when any character shows any dignity or courage is when the collaborator Houda goes to her execution. The fact that the male model she hired simply is set on fire but her interrogator allows her a generous amount of time to try to explain her indefensible actions somehow made me feel she was treated more gently because she was a woman!
The Resistance leader confesses he was responsible as a child for the death of his friend because he was too cowardly to own up to his actions. Is this supposed to represent the real character of the shebab? Day after day, young Palestinian boys and girls show incredible courage, honour and detemination in confronting tanks and machine guns with nothing but stones in their hands.
There is much to criticise In traditional patriarchal societies but Palestinian mothers, wives and daughters are known for their courage and loyalty in the face of unbearable horrors.
This film has garnered more attention than it deserves because of the shocking scene where Reem is shown completely nude, kmocked out by the drugs given to her by her hairdresser. Were it not for this, it would not merit even a review.
Watch '3000 Nights' or 'Eyes of a Thief' or 'Pomegranates and Myrrh' instead. There is a wealth of excellent cinema from Palestine that is both based on true facts and shows the beauty of the land and its culture as well as the problems faced by its people.