Direction: Hany Abu-Assad
Country: Palestine / Egypt / other
In this cold political thriller by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now, 2005; Omar, 2013), two women fight for their lives in a heated Bethlehem under siege. They are Reem (Maisa Abd Elhadi), a young mother trapped in a complicated marriage and forced to betray her own people, and Huda (Manal Awad), the bitter hairdresser who framed her.
In a first stage, Abu-Assad builds the scenario of a panting thriller, fully captivating. But the film slowly descends the hill of glory to never surprise again. Even if the tension never completely abandons the narrative, the excitement is limited, and we feel like it had no time to settle. There’s also no magnetic presence on the screen, but, on the other hand the plot is never fuzzy and the film makes its point on how society creates monsters and how monsters drag innocent people into the mud. In Huda’s case this was not a matter of political belief, but a forceful desire to retaliate against a cruel ex-husband who made their three sons abandon her. It’s a bit tricky, I know.
Played in the overwhelming context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the film turns its focus to the different freedoms and “roles” expected from women in the Palestinian society. Although flawed to the point of failing to reach its true potential, and with practically every scene signposted with heaviness, there’s still a pertinent message here demanding reflection.
