PALESTINE, 2023.
Available on streaming platforms.
Writer-director Farah Nabulsi makes her feature-length debut with a touching and impactful story dealing with the systemic injustice that Palestinians have been facing for generations by the hands of the occupiers. The film was first released in September 2023 and thus before the escalation of violence in Palestine. As the subject matter is such a pressing issue affecting not just the direct victims but shaking up global sociopolitics, the film inevitably carries more weight than mere artistic value.
The titular protagonist is Basem (Saleh Bakri), a man whose educational role allows him to focus on nurturing hope in younger generations. When the family home of his student Adam (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) is knocked down by Israeli settlers, a chain of tragic events ensues. In the face of the horrific acts he witnesses every day it eventually becomes impossible for Basem to maintain neutrality and a low profile. A parallel affair involving the kidnapping of a young Israeli man ends up affecting his position irreversibly.
As the protagonist’s past begins to unravel, a volunteer teacher from the UK named Lisa (Imogen Poots) helplessly watches from the sidelines: in a sense, she acts as a bridge for audiences who have only recently been exposed to the Palestinian question for the first time. Lisa’s shock, confusion and realisation of how tragic the situation actually is, suggests that this film may be a good starting point for anyone wishing to explore the human aspect of the Palestinian perspective, which has been hitherto muted by mainstream media.
Those more acquainted with Palestine’s decades’ long plight will likely feel that a single film is but a tiny drop in a sea of unexpressed traumas. Nevertheless, Nablusi’s choice to focus on one single character is not only natural, but part of the work that needs to be done in order to gradually give a people the acknowledgment, power and dignity they so deserve.
What the plot may lack in ingenuity, it makes up for in sheer sincerity. Although fictional, the situations depicted correspond to countless real life Palestinian experiences. The film features excellent performances by the main cast, but its greatest value is that it exists, that it speaks for a group of people who have historically been voiceless, and that it’s part of a collective trauma release that is unfolding through storytelling.
The Immersive Verdict: A touching and impactful story. As the subject matter is such a pressing issue affecting not just the direct victims but shaking up global sociopolitics, the film inevitably carries more weight than mere artistic value. What the plot may lack in ingenuity, it makes up for in sheer sincerity.
— Mersa Auda
