The Attack (2012) User Reviews (29)

Balanced film about Israeli-Palestinian conflict

[rubenm · 7/10 · 23 June 2013]

This film, about the complex relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel, has been banned in the Arab world because it has been made in Israel, with Israeli actors. At the same time, it has been criticized by radical Zionists in Israel because it shows how Palestinians think. Director Doueiri says it's a good thing that the criticism comes from both sides: it proves that he made a very balanced film. But the flip side is that his film gets much less exposure than it deserves.

'The Attack' shows how the life of a successful Arab surgeon, living in Tel Aviv, is turned upside down when his wife doesn't come home one night. It turns out she has blown herself to pieces in a suicide attack. The surgeon tries to find out how the woman he loved could turn into a terrorist, killing 17 people, including 11 small children. During his search to understand her motivations, he starts to question his own life. Being a successful Israeli Arab, he has turned his back to his roots in Nablus, and has become friends with Jews. At the end of the film, he has begun to understand a little bit about his wife's motivations, and, to the astonishment of his Jewish friends, refuses to give information about the attack to the Israeli authorities.

The film captures this internal struggle of one man very well. The dilemmas and paradoxes in his life are symbolic for the problems of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the first scene, when he receives an important Israeli medical prize, he says it shouldn't be an issue that the winner is an Arab. But a few hours later, after the deadly attack, one of the Jewish victims refuses to be treated by this prize-winning Arab doctor. Although the doctor wishes to be just an Israeli citizen, regardless of religion, the facts and circumstances make this impossible.

Director Doueiri shows the doctor's struggle in sober images. He chooses not to show the deadly attack, but to let the explosion be heard by the doctor, having lunch in the open air restaurant of the hospital. The same cinematographic distance is used when showing the situation in Nablus, on the West Bank. The Palestinians are not shown as helpless victims, but as proud people in their own right. This is not a film about fanatics or religious zealots. This is a film about ordinary people, doing their daily jobs and trying to cope with the difficult situation that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Poem for peace

[dvc5159 · 7/10 · 30 August 2013]

Dr. Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman) is a highly successful Palestinian doctor living in Tel Aviv with accolades to his name and a beautiful wife. This all changes when a suicide attack rocks the city and kills dozens of children - and his wife is named the culprit. Why, oh why must it be his wife, he asks.

This opening sets up Ziad Doueiri's "The Attack", an extremely engrossing film which begins as a gripping mystery of a man in search of answers when none are willing are give it to him. The film eventually evolves into an introspection of the human condition, a commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the harsh reality of love lost in the face of truth.

As Amin digs deeper into the mystery, allies are lost and conflict is escalated. The Israeli police roughs him up, thinking he's hiding something. His colleagues start to avoid him. Even the Israeli bombing victims refuse his services on the operating table itself. All of this to an exasperated Amin confused as to why his sweet, loving wife hid this life of hers from him for years. The basic answer does not satisfy him. He wants more.

In the face of tragedy, people rush to judge. Amin is a decent man who aims to help people, but one horrible act results in him getting discriminated from his friends and his house getting trashed and spray- painted by angry neighbours. Doueiri and his writers add subtle tension to these sequences by adding moments and dialogue that reveal a stark hatred for the other race that, when triggered by the attack, is unlocked without getting filtered. They can only tolerate so much up until a certain point, in which case they feel they deserve the right to berate those tolerated. Doueiri underlines these moments subtly without over-doing it with hysteria and anger This gives a major strength to the film and its lead, Suliman, who is terrific in the role as he subtly conveys a wide range of emotions throughout the film, perfectly embracing the role of a desperate, confused and hurt person which carries the film for its duration.

The prejudice is the least of his concern - Amin goes out of the city and into the West Bank, looking for more clues. He will not be happy with the answers he will get. This later sequence underlines the fear and paranoia that one side has with the other, something the Tel Aviv sequences only hint at. As Amin waits for a character to give him answers, other men try to chase him away, saying that he'll attract unwanted attention from the city onto them. Fear paralyzes both sides and leaves no choice but prejudice.

Interspersed with both halves of the film are flashback sequences of happier times, with romantic moments between Amin and his wife. He refuses to let go of these memories and initially insists that his wife is innocent, blinded by her pure appearance. When it becomes apparent that she did indeed blow herself up, he shifts his attention to who or what caused his wife to do that. His love for his wife is so touching that it culminates in the heartbreaking, poignant final shot of the film.

Ziad Doueiri's film met with controversy from the Arab nation for being filmed in Israel. Art imitating life, the irony of it. Doueiri made the brilliant decision of not picking a side, focusing instead on Amin's plight and how it is effectively destroyed by the paranoia of both sides of the conflict. There is no simple answer to solve the conflict, and there will be consequences for not choosing a side. This is a brave, commendable film that may be difficult to watch, but it is a nerve- wracking film which could also double as a poem for peace in that troubled area. In times like these, a film like this is greatly appreciated, and Doueiri deserves every accolade he gets for this film.

One of the year's very best films.

Gripping first half

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 10 September 2014]

Dr. Amin Jaafari is a non-practicing Muslim who is a celebrated surgeon in Tel Aviv. He still faces suspicions and racism but he seems to be the pinnacle of integration and secularism. Then everything changes when his Arab Christian wife Siham becomes a suicide bomber who killed 17 people including many children. He is devastated and isolated. He goes to seek the truth by himself.

This movie takes the intractable Palestinian-Isreali conflict down to a personal level. The first half is filled with great tension. However it doesn't carry it all the way through. The reveal, if it could be called that, is not compelling enough. It hints on something more shattering. Also the use of a Christian wife demands something more than the unity-of-oppression argument. It seems like an unnecessary side trip. Mostly it worked because the first half is so strong, and the second half isn't too bad.

One of the best movies in years

[JohnDeSando · 7 July 2013]

"Who knows the secrets of the human heart?" The Crying Game.

Three tales comprise this simple, beautiful, and harrowing drama of a Palestinian doctor, Ali Suliman (Amin Jaafari), working in Tel Aviv and receiving the equivalent of the Israeli "medical Oscar." What a fine metaphor, you say, of hope for peace between these warring peoples! Yes, but why is his wife, Siham (Reymond Amsalem), not there to share in his finest professional moment?

The Attack is first of all about a terrorist act, for she is preparing to become a Palestinian martyr at the expense of 17 Tel Aviv civilians' lives and numerous maimed women and children. The reality of this tale is that such attacks are common but not so easily explained except that two populations hate each other enough to commit mayhem the reason for which no one can really understand beyond the obvious territoriality.

Second, it's an attack on the brilliant doctor's understanding of human nature as he assesses how he knew nothing for their 15 married years about what would lead her to become a suicide bomber. In thematic terms, the fathomless mystery lives on about how well we know those closest to us (see opening quote) and by extension, how well the Israelis and Palestinians know each other.

Third, The Attack is about understanding the wall between Israel and Palestine that makes collaboration such as in the opening medical award scene a fantasy for two peoples in a terrorist state of mind. Slowly the film allows the hatred and suspicion to seep into each frame with a subtlety so graceful as almost to be unseen and unfelt. Never does the film descend into melodrama or hysteria.

The Attack is an understated masterpiece focusing on the emerging awareness of a doctor that the violence he tends to in the hospital is closer at home, but he learns too late. That is probably the most effective part of Lebanese writer/director Ziad Doueiri's vision: We can't understand terror in part because it hides itself until it explodes on the scene.

Although the Arab League asked for a boycott of the film because the director violated a Lebanese policy forbidding work by its citizens in Israel, the league may have missed the film's somewhat benign treatment of Siham and her cause. Truth be told, though, neither Israel nor Palestine is the bad team in this film. Rather, the bad is the ignorance that fosters violence in the name of liberty. Such a lack of awareness assures there will always be attacks.

The only hope I found is in Screen Comment's final assessment of the film itself as an emblem of cooperation:

"Witness the coming together of a crew as talented, as diverse and as honest as that of 'The Attack,' bringing us this unflinching testimony of a situation to which the world has unfortunately become inured but which will have to find a solution some day."

Cryptic

[MikeyB1793 · 6/10 · 3 August 2013]

This film underwhelmed me despite good acting. It's basically a detective/mystery story as to why this doctor's wife became a suicide bomber. It's set in Tel Aviv, and then in Nablus. The Doctor takes it upon himself to investigate why his wife became a suicide bomber. In the end we are left with little to go on. We are given cryptic answers from the imam and then a Catholic priest. It would seem that this man did not know about this hidden life of his wife. That is what we are left with and it struck me as somewhat implausible. There is nothing particularly revealing or said about the motivations of a suicide bomber, or the personality traits of this kind of mentality. We are given a lot of loose ends that don't add up. It all seemed too fictitious for my taste. The ending is not conclusive.

A dark and troubling film

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 9 July 2013]

The Attack (2012) was co-written and directed by Ziad Doueiri. This is a dark and troubling film about a dark and troubling situation--the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.

The gifted actor Ali Suliman plays Dr. Amin Jaafari, a Muslim surgeon who has chosen to live and work in Tel Aviv. He is so successful that he receives a prestigious medical honor from the Israelis. His world is shattered when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. As if that's not horror enough, his wife is accused of being the suicide bomber who triggered the explosion.

After that, we follow the protagonist as he tries to learn the truth about what role--if any--his wife played in the bombing.

I think this is an excellent film--well written, well directed, and well acted. I'm not an expert in Middle East politics, but I think the movie was made stronger by the director's refusal to take sides in the tense Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A friend who is an expert in the area told me that the Israeli population is not monolithically opposed to the Palestinian cause. An entire spectrum of beliefs about the conflict and its solution is found in Israeli. Unfortunately, here in the United States opinion is much more rigid and monolithic.

The only fault I found with the movie is that sometimes the plot wasn't completely clear to me. It was probably crystal clear to someone who knows the situation and the languages, but I don't, so I wasn't always sure exactly what was happening. Other than that, the film was truly superb. The Attack carries a modest 6.7 IMDb rating. Don't be thrown off by that rating--it's too low. I gave the film a rating of 9, and could easily have given it a 10.)

This is a movie worth seeking out and seeing. Just be prepared to be discouraged by the political reality of a problem that apparently doesn't have a solution.

Tough Subject Matter

[outpix · 6/10 · 19 July 2019]

A bit more background on the conflict and the couple's relationship would of been beneficial. Also, the Jenin massacre never happened; even left wing Wikipedia admits this 'Stories of hundreds of civilians being killed in their homes as they were demolished spread throughout international media. Subsequent investigations found no evidence to substantiate claims of a massacre, and official totals from Palestinian and Israeli sources confirmed between 52 and 54 Palestinians, mostly gunmen, and 23 IDF soldiers as having been killed in the fighting.'

A gripping suspense thriller and an intimate love story

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 12 August 2013]

Based on a novel by Yasmina Khadra, Lebanese director Ziad Douiere's The Attack is about a man without a country. Unlike Philip Nolan in Edward Everett Hale's classic novella who has been exiled from his country forever, however, Dr. Amin Jafaari (Ali Suliman), a respected Israeli Arab doctor, never had a country to begin with. The film, about a man whose life is turned upside down in the course of a single moment, is a gripping suspense thriller, an intimate love story, a poignant personal drama, and a powerful political statement. What it adds up to is superior entertainment. Unfortunately, the film has been banned by the Arab League for the crime of filming in Israel, limiting its potential to reach a bigger audience.

The film opens with Dr. Jafaari delivering his acceptance speech at a prestigious medical conference where he has been honored as the first Arab ever to receive an important medical award. Oddly, his wife Siham (Reymond Amselem) is visiting relatives in Nazareth and is not with him to celebrate the apex of his career. Before going on stage, he receives a call from Siham but tells her that he cannot talk and will call her later. That is the last time that he will ever hear her voice. The next day, while at the hospital, Amin hears a loud explosion and knows from experience that a suicide bombing has taken place and will bring many injured and dying victims to the hospital.

Dr. Jafaari, who has always treated both Arabs and Israelis, works feverishly to save as many lives as possible, even though a Jewish victim refuses to be treated by an Arab and spits in his face. Amin's world of safety and respect is torn apart when he learns that his wife may be the suicide bomber responsible for the death of 17 people including 11 children. Arrested and mercilessly grilled by a relentless Israel Intelligence officer (Uri Gavriel), he is told that the bomber has been positively identified by forensic evidence as his wife but he is in denial. It is only after he receives a letter from Siham in which she tells him not to hate her that he becomes convinced of the impossible.

The letter is mailed from Nablus, a Palestinian city on the West Bank, but Amin withholds the information from his friend Raveed (Dvir Benedek), a high-ranked police officer. Provided sanctuary by Kim Yehuda (Evgenia Dodina), a Russian colleague, Amin is distraught by the realization that his wife of fifteen years had a secret life that she never shared with him. Mirroring Denis Villeneuve's 2010 film Incendies, he travels to Nablus at great personal risk to trace the roots of Siham's involvement, questioning family and friends to find answers. As Amin seeks out those responsible, he is told by his nephew Adel (Karim Saleh) who was deeply involved, "Something snapped in her head," and by Sheik Marwan (Ramzi Makdessi) that he has no business there and to return to Tel Aviv before he brings the Israeli Intelligence down on his people (why Israeli intelligence did not follow him to Nablus is not explained).

An Arab leader in the Christian church tells him, "We're not Islamists and we're not fundamentalists, either. We are only the children of a ravaged, despised people, fighting with whatever means we can to recover our homeland and our dignity," and adds, "I never met your wife," the priest declares, "I wish I had." When Amin learns that Sahim is considered a hero and a martyr with her picture posted all over the city, he begins to feel trapped between his loyalty to the Arab cause and to his Israeli colleagues who opened so many doors for him and his wife. Visiting the rubble of Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp that was bombed by the Israelis, he starts to sense the anger behind his wife's radicalization.

Doueiri presents a balanced picture of the feelings on both sides, and The Attack is not a propaganda film. Although it is about the seemingly impassable political divide that separates the Israeli and Arab worlds, the film is basically a look at the human cost of the conflict. A sensitive and poetic story of the love between two people shown in flashbacks, the film asks the question – can we ever really know another person, even those we have been intimate with for many years? Can we ever know what goes on in the deepest layer of their being, how they "sense" the world? Can we even know ourselves, who we really are? For Amin, who must put the pieces of his life back together, there are many questions, but few answers, only emotional scars that will last a lifetime.

A balanced film on a very controversial subject

[proud_luddite · 7/10 · 10 November 2019]

An Arabic Israeli surgeon has his life turned upside-down after learning that a loved one has committed a shocking act.

This film is a strong drama while it also takes on a current conflict that continues to be controversial. It is also praiseworthy for seeming not to take sides by the end. In the middle section, it seems to create a negative picture on one side of the conflict only to later expose understanding for that particular side.

While the overall effect can be a downer, this is likely appropriate as this conflict seems unending. There also seems to be a feeling of incompleteness in understanding the motive of a major character who commits a shocking act. But this film's greatest praise could be that it shows sympathy for those truly stuck in the middle: Arabic Israelis who want to integrate into Israeli society while still maintaining a link to their own heritage.

A thought provoking movie

[bendssv · 9/10 · 25 August 2013]

While the movie presents in general an unbiased and, for the most part balanced, view of the mutual Israeli - Palestinian misunderstandings, for lack of a better word, I feel that at least on one occasion the director missed to give a counterargument to an obviously fanatic Palestinian religious priest figure's assertion to the effect that the Jews do not belong in "their" territory. Nevertheless, the director does a masterful work in depicting the deep and troublesome moral issues faced by those brave individuals who attempt to bridge the chasm dividing the two "adversaries". The photography and acting are outstanding to say the least.

However, it is most unfortunate, if not morally criminal, for the Arab League, I believe, to ban this movie on the absurd grounds that it was filmed in Israel, and not in "Palestine". This action just adds further insult to injury.

A fictional account

[celr · 7/10 · 25 March 2014]

This is a good film, perhaps a very good film. It held my attention and I found myself being drawn into the streets of Tel Aviv, and then into the more gritty streets of Nablus. It's beautifully photographed. We hear so much about the conflict and see grainy photos of war and tragedy but this movie gives the feeling of what it's actually like to live there.

The drama, however, is a different matter. It is so obviously fiction that we feel manipulated by a story that is artificial and made up to expound a particular point of view. That this point of view is neither partisan to the Israeli nor the Palestinian side of the conflict is a good thing, but in it's evenhandedness it seems too contrived to be believable. Amin is an Arab doctor in a Tel Aviv hospital who must treat the victims of a suicide bomber. Turns out the bomber is his loving wife who he never suspected was a terrorist. It is not believable that the wife, a Christian, would blow herself up out of sympathy for the Palestinian cause, (there have never been any Christian suicide bombers as far as I know), it is not believable that the husband would not suspect that the wife was faking her love for him all that time in order to be a sleeper agent for Muslim terrorists inside Israel. The plot is contrived to bring maximum pain and confusion to the husband so he can be a sort of existential symbol of the contradictions of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He is a straw man, made to witness his wife's betrayal and see first hand the horrific results of her insane act merely so we can philosophize about the pity of war. Obviously, the wife was incapable of seeing that what she did could only make matters worse for the Palestinians. In fact, all the oppression the Palestinians complain so much about is a result of Israel having to defend itself against suicide bombers. This point isn't really mentioned in the movie, which is a serious oversight.

When he finally realizes that the perpetrator of this heinous act was his beautiful wife, Amin vows to find out why she did it. He goes to Nablus where he grew up and where he hopes to find clues to her motivations. Once he sets foot in Nablus we instantly feel we're in crazy town. His wife's picture is on the walls and people are praising her act. Because she is so obviously a fictional character meant to evoke a certain emotion from the audience, she cannot be said to have any real motivation. We are supposed to conclude that she felt such sympathy for the Palestinians that it deranged her, but the film lets us down because it doesn't give any emotional correlative to her state of mind. Amin meditates on a pile of rubble where a fictional massacre was said to have taken place, but there's no feeling of the impact that scene could have had on his wife. The movie is subtle and evocative, but basically false.

The Horrors of War

[jadepietro · 9/10 · 25 September 2013]

This film is highly recommended.

At times, our world seems littered with random acts of violence. Just a glimpse at any newspaper will sadly confirm that statement. A tragic event can befall anyone. Anytime. Anyplace. Suddenly, one's life can veer from happiness to despair within seconds. The senselessness of a violent act and the unending repercussions that follow will permanently change that life and send one reeling with questions in search of inexplicable answers. That is the premise of the Ziad's Doueiri's taut mystery thriller, The Attack.

Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman), a successful Arab doctor living in Israeli, receives the tragic news that his wife, Kim (Reymond Amsalem), has died as a result of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, only to discover later that his wife may have been the actual bomber. As Amin searches for the truth, he begins to question their former relationship, the political and religious unrest between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the evil act itself.

This Lebanese film looks at the on-going Arab-Israeli conflict in realistic terms and tries to show both sides without a judgmental knee-jerk reaction. The director sensitively handles this material with much directness and foresight. He rarely flinches from the brutality and blind-sighted extremism that permeates both factions. (Yet this film has been banned from Israeli and many Arab countries due to its controversial subject matter, a reprehensible act which I find troubling and disgraceful in that many will not see this powerful and thought- provoking film.)

Doueiri and Joelle Touma co-scripted this drama based on Yasmina Khadra's novel and the results are literate and quite gripping. As Amin slowly unravels the clues to his wife's possible participation in this heinous crime, the audience is expertly drawn into this complicated ordeal with strong acting, especially by Suliman and Ansalem and Doueiri's solid direction. (Some of the clues do lack the element of surprise and seem a bit too obvious once revealed.)

But The Attack attacks its subject with an honesty and skillfulness that allows moviegoers to contemplate the actions of radicals and fanatics that continue to cause harm to so many innocent victims, shouting their political rants under the guise of religion. There are many powerful scenes containing violent images that show the carnage and destruction caused by years of hatred and revenge. The film elicits emotional debate with its well-developed characters and its straightforward confrontations that build to a stunning denouncement.

The Attack accomplishes its mission head-on and all those involved in this production should be commended for their courage and efforts. This solemn film is unafraid to deal with the complex issue of terrorism, even if fear and animosity have run amok in our changing world. The Attack needs to be seen. GRADE: B+

NOTE: The censorship of this important film only emphasizes the length that controlling government officials and religious zealots will go to to silence its people and promote their irrational agendas to perpetuate this endless cycle of violence. Hopefully, films like The Attack will, one day, bring about some peace and understanding that everyone deserves. Unfortunately, for now, the war rages on.

Faith in humanity not restored just yet

[scottyxl · 7/10 · 18 January 2015]

This film is about a man who finds out that his wife killed 17 people in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Israel and finding out the why and the how.

I really liked the plot of this movie because the main character is an Arab, not an Israeli. It really shows you two sides of the same coin and that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is different for everybody. It shows the pain and suffering from both sides and why they do what they think they must do. But also how somebody can think they know somebody while the truth is that they don't.

IMHO this film showed me why the conflict will not end in the near future (it will probably get worse). And that is a good thing because something needs to be done about it, adding more violence to the equation will only make it worse.

Climatically this film was great, the production quality was top notch. Even though I like foreign films the languages used made it hard for me to enjoy it fully. I think it is because the way they talk makes their emotions look different.

I really don't understand why this film was banned in so many Arab countries, because I think this film will make people understand the situation a bit more.

Anybody who is interested in the conflict or in a good plot should really watch this, 7/10

An attempt to excuse the inexcusable

[the_wolf_imdb · 2/10 · 3 May 2017]

So called emotional but also very shallow movie that tries to excuse the inexcusable. An successful Arab surgeon tries to find out why his beloved supposedly Arab Christian wife decided to blow herself up and murder a bunch of kids.

It is, of course, because Palestinians are sad, because their land is somewhat insulted by the existence of Jews having their own state on its soil. Let's forget the fact the Palestinians could have their own state since 1948. The Palestinian state is of course only the entire land of and it is necessary to fight for it, especially by attacking the innocent.

The movie tries to explain somewhat logic of woman who lives peacefully under Israel rule but helps the terrorist. Her point is, you know, the Palestine is failed state, but it is her failed state and therefore it is better to spread the violence and chaos than to live in peace.

It is better to betray her beloved husband and refuse to give him the children, because you cannot have children if you do not have your own state (no joke - such crap is in the movie!)

So - let's betray husband who loves you. Let's betray the country that helps you prosper. Let's betray the humanity. F*ck God and his Commandment You shall not kill. Just do it! Murder! Mayhem! Heroism by killing these bloody Jewish kids! Revenge! Blood ties! Forward into the 21st century!

This made me literally sick. Literally. I feel no sympathy to such character, she should burn in hell for a lot of reasons. Her message to the husband "Do not hate me" is the most sickening part. Yes, everyone has to love betrayer and child murderer.

Who would film such crap? Oh, French people, of course. I've got it now. Let's send some more money to help Hamas so sad, emotional Palestinian women can murder even more children. Because the revenge on the innocent is the very best revenge!

Worth watching

[searchanddestroy-1 · 5 June 2013]

A very beautiful, sensitive and poignant movie I watched today. I already knew the topic, and that is the reason why I got to it. I don't know much about Israeli or Palestinian movie industry...And I guess there are many films like this one. The story has been told above, in the plot line. A very simple but unusual tale. The search of the widower about the death of his wife, suspected to have been a kamikaze human bomb in Tel Aviv, killing a bunch of innocent folks.

You can't stay cold in front of this poor man searching, seeking for the truth and then facing it, with all the pain that means for him.

The final moments, in the last sequence, is absolutely terrific. A film that you have to watch only if you are in the mood for it. Yes, you have to be prepared. Somewhere a depressing story, but so beautiful in the same time.

A man's quest to find the truth...

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 8 August 2015]

Adaptation of the french novel 'The Assassination'. The movie was so good, but I had a hesitation over the contents. The movie tried to be a too smart by being a neutral, hence failed to convince on that issue. The problem was, it sets in the real world around real conflict, but the facts were excluded. So that led many countries to ban in their market. The good thing was, to I like the movie, the story concentrates on the human curiosity and emotion.

I thought it was an okay movie until the end twist. It was not that grand, but very- very simple and potent. Awesome filmmaking, could have been a top contender if it would have nominated for the Oscar. I wanted to rate it higher, but I feel something is not right as it was based on the real subject, but a fictional account. I definitely recommend it because the result could be different for you with your viewpoint.

7/10

Fascinating and well worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 15 November 2013]

"According to the NY Times as of June 2013 the film has been banned or refused release in every Arab country for the crime of filming in Israel."---IMDb Trivia Aside in Morocco (which I don't think is an Arab nation, though it is a predominantly Muslim nation), this film was banned in many countries simply because it was filmed in Israel. It's a shame, as the message is important--one everyone should hear and discuss.

Amin is a very well respected doctor who not only works in the country, but he thrives. He's a Palestinian but not particularly religious and has no problem working with Jews. And, naturally, when there is a nearby suicide bombing, he works to save as many of the victims as he can. However, after going home from this exhaustive shift, he receives an emergency phone call--he needs to come to work immediately. There, he's told that they think the suicide bomber was his wife! Not surprisingly, he cannot accept this--especially since his wife is a Palestinian Christian and seems to have no interest in the Occupied Territories. But, eventually he realizes the truth--but it leaves him with so many questions--questions he might be able to have answered in Nablus on the West Bank. However, like the Jews had become once they learned his wife was the killer, the Palestinians are NOT welcoming and he's threatened repeatedly and told to leave. What's next? See the film.

This is a very interesting film. Seeing Amin dealing with the various stages of grief was interesting. What was even more interesting is that the film does not provide us with answers and so much of it would be great to see and discuss. A thought-provoking and very well made film.

Some things are beyond (but not yet behind) us !

[robindecker · 7/10 · 10 February 2014]

The medium line is often difficult to walk. To me "the attack" is about a man trying to walk this line of truth without falling on any side of hatred and narrow minded feelings of bigotism or revenge.

Thus the theme of this movie is central to our time.

It shows religious fanaticism with a human side, not to undermine it, not to excuse it; but to show us it's true origins...between a desperate sense of meaning for one's one life, communitarian reverence of heroism, but also those moment of doubt that are well depicted in the movie (ex! last calling scene).

If, as the Doctor says,"those things are beyond us ", it just really leaves us with the question of how to put them behind.

This being said, the plot is halting a bit. The last scene, about departure and sadness, also fails to capture the movies core.

Thus good, but not parsimonious and focused enough to make it the great masterpiece it could rightfully have had a claim to.

Women make the best suicide bombers

[drumgod101 · 9/10 · 4 July 2013]

Women make the best suicide bombers. They receive more media attention and generate greater mass hysteria. If they can kill innocent children, this creates the best publicity possible. The Attack, a film by Ziad Doueiri deals with such suicide bombing connected to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The story is told in such a powerful and inventive way that I left the theatre feeling as if my emotional center had been extracted, run over by a train, and then transplanted back inside. One way I seem to judge how good a film is is by how bad it makes me feel.

After seeing The Attack I thought immediately of Paradise Now (2005). It has the same lead actor and both films involve Tel Aviv bombings, but while Paradise Now's suspense is generated by mystery involved in the story's unfolding climaxing in a mega-unsettller of an ending, The Attack gives away all its plot secrets in the first act. The major conflict of the film takes place early. Climax hit, mystery solved, we are out to examine why the events happened. The film opens with the protagonist's highest moment, so from here down is the only way to go.

Amin Jaafari, an ultra-successful Arab surgeon living in Tel Aviv receives a career achievement award. In his acceptance speech he praises a non-existent armistice of hostility between the Arab world and Israel. The irony of this speech is played out over and over again as he suffers blow after blow demonstrating the error of his judgment.

There is a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and Jaafari's wife disappears. She has forgotten her cell phone. All things lighting, photography and mood point to "oh no, she's been killed." Shockingly, not only has she been killed, she was actually responsible; She was the bomber. Married for 15 years, Jaafari tries to persuade others that he knew his wife well, that she could never do anything so terrible; we spend very little time wondering or investigating the trivialities of whether or not she did the deed. He gets a letter that was mailed before the bombing. It admits to the bombing and pleads, "Don't hate me."

This secret disclosed, Jaafari goes to Palestine to track down the people who organized her suicide. What we find out in Palestine is a wrenching tale of Jaafari's own search for answers. He tries to come to terms with his wife as a mass murderer while at the same time still being madly in love with her. The more he mourns, the bigger the atrocity of his wife's deed becomes, and ever the more realistic.

Jaafari's fall from grace is a vivid representation that tragedy can strike at any time, to anyone. After seeing this film we are left with a striking awareness of our own vulnerability. Seeing an affluent, successful surgeon being betrayed by his wife, his family, his profession, and both of his home states leaves little hope for those of us that are less successful, non-surgeons.

Jaafari's was ignorant. He disregarded all the signs, saw only what he wanted to see, and this contributed to his ultimate demise, but he was not exceptionally oblivious, nor was he in any way malicious or evil. He was human. We leave theatres hopefully trying not to make the same mistakes.

More reviews drumgodchris.blogspot.com

Almost An Obligation To Watch

[samkan · 10/10 · 18 July 2013]

Having said as much in my comment's title, as a film THE ATTACK is almost perfectly done. To say the it never drags for a second is understating it's compelling drama and story telling. To say it's artfully shot, scripted and directed becomes almost unappreciated and taken for granted in light of the movies' other attributes. To say the actors are magnificent makes one wonder how come many viewers have probably never seen any of them perform before. So intriguing and intense is the work that captivating suspense is almost a by-product. Putting all of the above together would make an Oscar-worthy film if the subject matter was aliens or teen love. But the subject matter is the contemporary Middle East tragedy. Such roughly parallels the lives of the USA's baby-boom generation and tends to become invisible by, ironically, the groaning decades of conflicts, bombings and hatred blurring into episodes with interchangeable parts. For my 17 year old son sitting next to me, I truly hope THE ATTACK served as a primer on the horror and tragedy of the Middle East today. Certainly the film must instantly be recognized as a must- see not just about the Israel-Palestinian conflict but religious and cultural dogma in general. Presently the film sits in my mind for many reasons, one being as a twisted bookend to EXODUS, which I first watched almost a half-century ago. If you're a serious film buff, don't miss this work!

An outstanding film is "The Attack".

[dhaufrect-1 · 9/10 · 12 September 2013]

"The Attack" is an excitingly refreshing view of the Israeli Palestinian crisis with dark overtones and deep insight to this hotbed area of the world. It is Written by Ziad Doueiri, and Joelle Touma. It is directed by Ziad Doueiri. The story revolves around an Arab surgeon receiving living and working at a hospital in Israel. He receives the high medal of honor from his scientific colleagues when his phone rings. This initiates the search for the reason his wife, whom he has lived with for fifteen years, has become a terrorist. Without spoiling the plot, I can only urge you to see this movie on the grounds that it will promote a deeper understanding of the strength of the emotional overlay on either side of the border. In addition it contains some spectacular cinematography of the Holy Land with with awe inspiring aerial shots.

Hated this film.

[kleinsdesigns · 1/10 · 29 July 2013]

One of the most disappointing films we've ever seen. The audience walked out puzzled and bothered.

How could you take a magnificent cast of actors, give them a wonderful script, and then screw it up so badly?!

I personally think the film could be used as a recruitment film for terrorists on both sides of the conflict. The world doesn't need more of that!

I do not want to include a spoiler. Suffice it to say it was a wasted evening.

One note: There is a scene about a "Jenin massacre", which never happened and was so blatantly false that it was immediately repudiated in most of the world press. I guess lower standards in some parts of the world can keep a lie going eternally.

Respected Israeli Arab surgeon learns wife is suicide bomber

[maurice_yacowar · 8/10 · 5 August 2013]

If anything, The Attack, Ziad Doueiri's even-handed film of Yasmina Khadra's novel, tends toward the Palestinian side. An early report has an Israeli policeman refusing to let an Arab enter a mosque unless he smokes a cigarette first. As it is Ramadan the Arab refuses, there is a scuffle, the cop is stabbed, the Palestinian arrested. However necessary the defensive posture, an exchange at a checkpoint shows Israeli abruptness almost trigger a fatal melee. The Arab surgeon hero, Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman), is seen to grow as he shifts from being the Israelis' house Arab to refusing to help the Israelis commit more suppression in the name of justice and peace. His suicide bomber wife Siham (Reymond Amsalem) strikes a powerful chord when she writes that she can't bear bringing a child to live without a homeland. The Jews know about that, but that's not grounds for their national suicide.

When the surgeon receives his Israeli medical award, the first Arab to receive it in its 41 year history, he recalls experiencing Jewish hostility. He considers that erased by the support he received in his medical education and career, culminating in this award. But we see he is still treated with hostility. A Jewish medical colleague snipes at the surgeon's success as a doctor and in his investments. A Jewish bombing victim refuses to be touched by the Christian Arab doctor. The policeman investigating the suicide bombing abuses his power in trying to wring a confession out of the innocent doctor.

In his acceptance speech the doctor makes perhaps the film's central point: we have to reexamine our certitudes. Having suffered prejudice, he has come to respect and to befriend his Jewish colleagues and patients. But as he tracks down the forces behind his wife's astonishing double life he rediscovers the Palestinian side of the issue. As his wife's cousin contends, the Palestinians want to live in dignity.

Here the film perhaps stops too soon. The Palestinians could have lived in dignity in their own state since 1948. Instead they have refused the two-state solution in the hopes of eradicating Israel instead. A dignity that requires the elimination of another people is something quite other than dignity.

Finally, examining our certitudes cuts two ways. As the murders and vengeance continue the peacemakers may lose their zeal. When the doctor reveals his new perspective he loses the Jewish woman colleague who had been such a supportive friend all along. The longer this war continues the more set the old certitudes will become and the more negative any change. For more see www.yacowar.blogspot.com.

Complex and Very Moving

[aharmas · 9/10 · 2 July 2013]

Seldom comes a movie that keeps you glued to the screen without the need of some fancy special effect or camera move; one that has a story that is universal, involving, complex, and devastating. Here is the eternal conflict, one that continues despite our supposed maturing and evolving into much better characters.

A successful doctor suddenly finds himself in the middle of a big mess as his wife might or not have committed a brutal act of terrorism. As the plot unfolds and he's inevitably questioned, more and more questions arise. Some of these are inquiries by the authorities who want to capture any other parties. Most of the ones the film deals with, are apparently of a personal nature for this is a love story between a man and his wife. This love story, however, has ended badly, and the mystery will be resolved by the end of the film.

The doctor continues to suffer and slowly see his perfect universe fall apart as he discovers more and more of the truths that have surrounded him for a long time, yet he might not have wanted to see or acknowledge. The film delivers each one of them like a hard slap to his face, and it is painful to see that it's difficult to place a 100% of the blame on anyone, and that is equally impossible to justify any of the actions taken by anyone here. There are moments when one goes through a range of emotions similar to the main character, and this where this film excels for we learn to discover more than we might want to know.

The film explores the cultural, political, and social differences between two types of people, and even at first, we can catch one furtive look from someone who is not happy with the success of the doctor. This gets more intense and clear as the investigation continues, and here the man is a pariah not wanted by anyone because he can't understand what happened, what is happening or what will happen. As usual, there is plenty of ignorance at the heart of the conflict, and the dialog in the film illustrates a lot of this. More and more questions continue to arise as the film nears its conclusion.

There are many beautiful scenes in the movie, trying to explain the relationship between the doctor and his wife, and we keep wondering how it was possible that the events led to the attack. In the end, things become more clear, but questions remain, and they will continue as long as we fail to heal and embrace each other, finding a common ground, recognizing the similarities rather than the differences.

Great film.

Why it is titled "The Attack"

[dancekitty-910-786080 · 9/10 · 25 January 2014]

When the film begins, we think it is about a suicide bombing attack that kills innocent Israeli children. Then, we start to think that maybe "the attack" refers to the aggression Dr. Jaafari, the bomber's husband, will face from Israeli authorities and his Israeli friends. But that is not why it's called "The Attack". It is an intrapersonal conflict which Dr. Jaafari faces. It is an attack on his ego, judgment, love, and trust that he had in his relationship with his wife. It is also an attack on his personal identity--does he identify as an Arab, Israeli, husband, uncle, or doctor? The film does not provide answers, only questions, to those who are willing to accept them.