Salt of This Sea

Cinema, in my eyes, is an art. The best pieces of art in almost any medium are subjective pieces of work they allow you to understand what the artist's feelings, emotion, messages etc. are. However when inducing politics into art one should be very objective. It is impossible to set out a rational film on a political issue if the movie is made in a subjective manner. 'Salt of this Sea' is one such movie where a strive has been made to critique a very delicate situation in Isreal/Palestine, however it is done in such a narrow scope, and at times, disgustingly sentimental way. The mere fact that in the movie, the main character feels such a strong connection with a place she has never been before, is almost laughable, as is the demonising of almost all Isreali characters throughout the film. There can be no doubt that some of the plot and events in the film have merit, but there is an overwhelming bias toward one side of a very complex and challenging issue, that it does no justice to history of the story it is trying to tell.

Jacir paints with precise strokes, each hue reflecting the truth in a way that entertains and enlightens. She creates a virtual travelogue of dispossession in the form of an outrage wrapped in a tragedy; paradoxically revealed in a beautiful film. It takes us beyond the fair and balanced view of history that each side has a point and reminds us that we are all on the same side and that is the only point that matters. The film forces us to see what is plain and in doing so makes clear the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. We are the central characters in this human drama.

The film unfolds easily in a style that is both free and rebellious, through the reflection of a bruised and suffocated Palestine. The courage of the heroine, her unwavering strength, faith and rejection of injustice mark a path where everything is but difficult and her refusal to bury her dreams contrast starkly with the reality imposed on the characters. Salt of the Sea is a deeply layered film, a film that is quasi-militant and seeped in passion, but devoid of hatred of any kind. Salt of the Sea has proved to be a great discovery, a film that is both courageous and necessary. And as a bonus, a sublime find: Suheir Hammad - both beautiful and vibrant as she moves through a variety of emotions.

Salt of This Sea compels us to make a choice between the cold comfort of indifference or the knowledge that we can make a difference. The turnstiles were installed by us in the land and in our hearts. Salt of This Sea reminds us that we have the power to tear those turnstiles down.

The current situation with Gaza makes Annemarie Jacir's "Milh Hadha al-Bahr" ("Salt of This Sea" in English) all the more relevant. The protagonist is a Brooklyn woman of Palestinian descent who goes to her ancestral land for the first time. Subjected to a humiliating search in the Israeli airport, she eventually makes her way to Ramallah.

Jacir's movie - which was Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards as nominee for Best Foreign Language Film- isn't about political arguments. It's about what everyone in the area feels like they've gone through. Basically, it seeks to find everyone's humanity while still making clear the humiliation that the Palestinians suffer on a daily basis (and how plenty of Israelis refuse to acknowledge this).

This isn't the sort of movie that you'd watch to understand the situation there in detail, but it still gives a good feeling of things. It could be a double bill with Julian Schnabel's "Miral". I recommend it.

A friend of ours who is of Palestinian descent invited us to see this movie at Berkeley's California theater and didn't know what to expect. The movie was presented by the Arab Film Festival to a sold out crowd. This movie took us on an eye opening journey of how horribly Palestinians refugees are treated by the settlers. During painful moments in the movie, the audience around me would sigh and groan at what was happening. I thought "It's just a movie" and then realized it is not just a movie. It is what is truly happening now, today! Though I am not Palestinian, I would remember stories my Mother told me about how the Japanese would treat Filipinos during the war. The minimization of an entire culture of people by invaders who believed they had right to her country. I truly recommend every American who has not read or heard of the history of Palistine see this movie. I hope to see more movies about Palistine in hopes we can learn more and understand what is the truth.

This is a film well worth seeing by people who want to know more about the reality of the Palestinian tragedy. Artistically made, with no hysterics about showing daily material sufferings, but instead, the ordinary life of Palestinians which has to somehow go on, with laughter, anger, happiness, pain, love, etc. It also reflected the psychological pain felt by the Palestinians wherever they may be (in USA in this case), showing how a Palestinian-American young lady seeking her roots in a country she had never seen before can in fact have the feeling of "longing" and belonging, not in any way different from the feeling of an adopted child upon meeting her/his real parents. The film is of course about Palestine and Palestinians and not about Israel and Israelis, however, it does not "demonize" anyone! See it for yourself and be the judge!