Hany Abu-Assad made one of the my favourite movies. 'Omar'. I loved 'Paradise Now' too. With Huda's Salon', I now rank him with my best directors.
As with all his films, this is an occupation drama, the difficulty of being Palestinian. But, as he's done before, he doesn't attack Israel but instead shows damage through the experience of ordinary folk on the ground.
A young mother is blackmailed in order to force her to become a traitor. Her impossible situation, and the hunt by Palestinian rebels for both her and her blackmailer adds a thriller element. However, it's greatest strength may be founded in a sublime conversation in an interrogation room. Simplicity is what makes 'Huda's Salon' most profound, and must be accompanied by, "What would I do to save my life?"
Actresses Manal Awad and Maisa Abd Elhadi step wonderfully away from their previous support roles into their leads here. The triad is completed by veteran Aliman Suliman (from '200 Meters' and 'The Attack').
As an important side-note, I'm disappointed that hate has entered the review section. Some people don't review but instead express their bias, giving movies low ratings. Here, it appears to be religious misogyny but can be seen elsewhere as anti-Russia, anti-Israel, anti-anything... It must be addressed lest the review section be made as obsolete as the comments sections on most major websites. This is a movie website. Movie lovers, directors and actors must be more important than politics. Moderation is important.
As with all his films, this is an occupation drama, the difficulty of being Palestinian. But, as he's done before, he doesn't attack Israel but instead shows damage through the experience of ordinary folk on the ground.
A young mother is blackmailed in order to force her to become a traitor. Her impossible situation, and the hunt by Palestinian rebels for both her and her blackmailer adds a thriller element. However, it's greatest strength may be founded in a sublime conversation in an interrogation room. Simplicity is what makes 'Huda's Salon' most profound, and must be accompanied by, "What would I do to save my life?"
Actresses Manal Awad and Maisa Abd Elhadi step wonderfully away from their previous support roles into their leads here. The triad is completed by veteran Aliman Suliman (from '200 Meters' and 'The Attack').
As an important side-note, I'm disappointed that hate has entered the review section. Some people don't review but instead express their bias, giving movies low ratings. Here, it appears to be religious misogyny but can be seen elsewhere as anti-Russia, anti-Israel, anti-anything... It must be addressed lest the review section be made as obsolete as the comments sections on most major websites. This is a movie website. Movie lovers, directors and actors must be more important than politics. Moderation is important.