Film No. 23 (2022) March 15th. 6.30 PM Cinema 8. LUNA, Leederville.
"Is everything okay with Mira?"(Sami's mother Zahera asks a question of her son, a question she already knows the answer to, but she is looking for Sami to own his problem).
Israeli, official entry @ Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2021.
Director Eran Kolirin has a way of bringing gentle, thoughtful drama to his films. THE BAND'S VISIT (2007) placed a group of good people (musicians) in a place they shouldn't have been (Egyptians in Israel). We got to know the band via a series of quirky character studies. With LET IT BE MORNING, Kolirin uses a similar style, but with a more intimate story.
We meet Sami (Alex Bakri), an Arab working in Jerusalem, at his brother's wedding in his home village an hour by car from his new life. He's there with his wife, Mira (Juna Suleiman) and young son. He's distracted. He's aloof and disdainful of those around him, who obviously once played a role in his life. There is an air of arrogance about Sami. He initiates a call on his cell phone which gives clues to his state of mind. He's busting to get back down the road to his his life as a Tech Manager in Jerusalem.
The drama begins when he and his family are stopped on their way out of town. The Israeli forces have placed the village in lockdown, indefinitely. Sami is forced to retreat and confront unresolved issues from his former life.
It's here Kolirin goes to work. It's through Sami's past and the quiet, kind eyes of his mother, he grows on us. He grows on us because, through family and friends, he remembers what it means to be loyal. The film doesn't waste a minute. There is tragedy and sadness along the way but it is all for a purpose. Life for Sami is reinvigorated. The ending leaves us hanging, but it works. You'll be thinking about Sami and his family for a day or two afterwards. 10GUMS.
No comments:
Post a Comment