yardenush

Astonishing that this is a debut feature from two young directors. The film, named for the Jaffa neighborhood where most of it takes place, chronicles the story of several neighborhood residents who tread through life amid rampant crime, strict Arab family structures and rules, clan law, revenge killings, harsh police and racism, and the growing Jewish presence in the neighborhood. It could have easily fallen onto the abundant clichés which generally characterize films that delve on this subject matter - but instead, there are no fingers pointed, no blame set and no far-fetched allegories. The focal point is always on individual human beings, and the injustices and tragedies that constrict their paths.

It's a shame that a movie that so bravely and beautifully deals with the matter of death can also fall into such a low abyss of kitsch. I though the movies started beautifully. The scenes revolving around the traditional preparation of bodies for burial were so sensitively and beautifully presented, they almost felt magical. But then came scenes such as the "face appearing in the rock," or the cello playing scene which made me squirm in my seat. They were in my opinion almost gruesome in this context. It's troubling to me that such a movie with such evident flaws overtook Waltz with Bashir in the race for the Oscar....

Elia Suleiman returns to his home after a long absence, and gives a portrait of the society he left behind - that of Israeli Palestinians living among Jewish Israelis in Israel. Suleiman's Israeli Palestinians are somewhat miserable, squabbling people who seem to be accustomed or accepting of this fate. His Israelis are racist and his Israeli security forces are dumb and dumber. Jewish Tel Aviv and Palestinians Jericho, visited during his trip, receive so little attention, as to attest to their insignificance. Instead, its all about Jerusalem, where the two societies collide head on. As in Divine Intervention (which came out later) - the Palestinians receive some redemption only in fantasy. The scene where a Palestinian woman manages to rid Jerusalem of Israeli policing forces by use of a walkie talkie was pure brilliance. There are other brilliant scenes in this movie - however, the film does not flow and never really follows a set rhythm. However, it is highly recommended for those scenes that attest to the directors brilliance

The movie was made by Juliano Mer, Arna Mer's son. Arna Mer, a Jewish woman who fought in the 1948 war dedicated her life to helping Palestinian refugees after the 1967 war. Among her feats was establishing a children's theater in the West Bank city of Jenin during the 80s. Using old footage, Juliano Mer returns to the refugee camp after his mother's death and after a devastating Israel Defense Forces operation, to check up on the kids who attended the drama group - Arna's Children, who have grown up under Israeli occupation. Some joined militant groups, went on suicide missions or were killed while defending their home. Though highly political, the film does not take sides and is not dogmatic, just humane and real.

With all the buzz surrounding this movie, I can't help it - I was very disappointing. The film never manages to escape it's clicheesque story line, and as a viewer, it never drew me in. The acting is superb, as expected from Elkabetz and Ivgi, and the point where the two characters merge in mesmerizing. However, the drastic change in Ivgi's character, from strength and independence one second, to utter collapse (into the cliché) was utterly unnatural in my humble opinion. In addition, there were some characters which meant a lot to the heroines, but we never exactly understood the nature of the relationship (Avi).

And to top it all off, the final scene - the cementing of the tragic ending - accompanied by happy, jumpy trance music.