The olive tree-dotted Italian hills forming the backdrop for the film Private are deceptively similar to those of the northern parts of Palestine, even more closely resembling those around Nablus and Qalqilia. It goes without saying that the film could not have been shot in Nablus or Qalqilia.
A few weeks ago, my visit back to Wisconsin coincided with the Wisconsin Film festival. I had the opportunity to see Private; directed by Saverio Costanzo, and starring renowned Palestinian actor, Mohammed Bakri, alongside Areen Omary, Hend Ayoub, Lior Miller, and Tomer Russo.
The film is about a chapter in the life of a Palestinian family: An intellectual, Shakespeare-reciting head of household, Mohammed (Bakri); a pragmatist mother, Samia, who fears for the life of her children, believing that there is nothing worth risking their immediate safety; a rebellious teenage daughter, Mariam, of the political, resilient freedom fighter variety; and two teenage boys, one of whom is Karim, an intelligent, deeply secretive, reclusive, mischievous, up-to-no-good son (he reminded me of my brother Mohammed). The family also has a little girl and a little boy, whose lives become wholly shaped by the conflict in their home.
The family lives in a two-story home on the outskirts of town. The area is steadily losing land to the crawl of a Jewish-only settlement. One day, Israeli army soldiers take over the home and ask the family to leave; when they refuse, the Israelis restrict them to the lower level of the house, taking over the upper level, getting comfortable in it, and using it as an outpost to protect the settlement. At night, the soldiers confined the family to the living room, locking them inside, imposing some curfew in the house itself.
Having been in similar situations myself, I focused on the specific events, and failed to recognize the symbolism immediately. But as I ran the events through my head over and over again, it became clear how the events of conflict inside one house accurately and powerfully depict all the major phases in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The different events and interactions that take place during the film are a scaled-down version of the different types of interactions between Palestinians and Israelis.
Mohammed plays the politics of non-violent resistance. Almost a pacifist, his persistence and refusal to leave his home infuriates the leader of the Israelis, and makes him feel like a failure who is unable to accomplish a mission assigned to him. It pushes him to the edge in the process. On the brink, the officer loses control, becomes violent, and irrational. Eventually, he starts to ask himself questions that could enlighten him to the new reality.
Though increasingly politicized and angry, Mariam becomes very intrigued with the Israeli soldiers occupying her house; she begins spying on them by sneaking around the upper level of the house. This process leads to a certain amount of intimacy developing between her and the soldiers; she comes to discover the human side of the young soldier, and the fact that they resented being there in the first place.
The transformation of the Israeli soldiers themselves is also significant through out the film, however, like in reality, it does not play out in their behavior. They are still soldiers fulfilling a political and ideological agenda, no matter how much they regret their roles. Their masters are a step removed from the consequences. The masters are fundamentally insensitive to Palestinian suffering, but also they are ignorant of, or at best oblivious to, the suffering of their own foot soldiers carrying out the Zionist project.
One of the most powerful transformations is that of the two teenage boys who develop very different responses to the situation imposed on them. Though it goes without saying the generation ‘under-occupation’ in Palestine developed many different responses to the conflict, the two sons showed the very opposite and extreme reactions.
Jamal wanted to escape the conflict and wished he never was a part of it. He loved football and enjoyed the company of his friends. Karim, the secretive one, on the other hand, develops a violent reaction to the occupation of his home; turning the weapons brought by the Israelis against them, at all time aware of the danger his actions posed to his own family, directly or through the threat of retaliation.
The film is a chance to contemplate the reality of the situation and the pragmatism of any lasting resolution. Israelis are now here, and are not going anywhere. Most of those here did not chose to come to Palestine, rather were born there. We must accept to share our land with them, and even learn to like them. Palestinians are not leaving Palestine, are not surrendering, and are not giving in. They will fight to stay, they will fight to live, and will fight for equal rights. If Israelis seek to live in peace, they must understand that they are the foreign object, and have the obligation of building coexistence. They also, no doubt, must relinquish their racist ideology of an ethnically pure nation in Palestine. Once they accept to live like every one else, with no special privileges, they will be surprised how easy and forgiving life can be.
For those who could approach this film with an open mind, it is a must; it is definitely a powerful perspective on the conflict. If filming a range of the inevitable issues facing life under occupation could be done, Private did it.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Private: On War, Lack Of Peace, And Sharing Spaces
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10 comments:
I saw this movie a few months back- i must say it was very nicely done.
I read recently how Palestinian claims of being 3.8 millions in the West Bank and Gaza were overstated by 1.5 millions. This leave 2.3 millions minus 1.1 millions in Gaza leaving 1.2 millions in the West Bank which if you compare to the Jewish population in the West Bank of 250,000 what you're suggesting is that it's entirely equitable and reasonable to expel by force or by violence 21% of the population of a country. Just so we're clear - expel by force or by violence 21% of a country.
According to the CIA, there are 2.46 million Palestinians in the West Bank, alone (1.42 million in Gaza). What did you read saying this was overstated?
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/we.html
21% isn't remarkable. After all if there were 9 Jews in Palestine that would be 9 too many.
My sources were Jewish ergo worthless to you. Obvious lies. Please carry on. All Hail Terrorism!!!!!
Jewish settlers should remain in the West Bank. After all, it is historically and religiously significant for Jews.
After a solution, settlers should remain either as Palestinian citizens, as citizens of a confederacy of Israel and Palestine, or as Israelis once Israel annexes the Occupied Territories and declares equal rights for all people regardless of religion.
Very good Ibrahim. However, when this was proposed in Gaza, the PA balked and then refused to allow any settlers to remain once the Israelis left. Perhaps, considering that we currently have almost a million non-Jewish Arabs in Israel, Fayyad's review would have been a little more appealing had it not included the part about "racist ideology of an ethnically pure nation in Palestine." Saudi, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, most of the Emirates and Gaza may be ethnically pure and do not allow Jews to live there, but Israel is far from ethnically pure.
But here's an interesting question for you folks. If the minority in your country becomes hostile to the point of threatening violence or siding with the enemies of the state, at what point is it okay to take steps and what steps should be allowed?
Of course he wants them to stay. They're easier to kill that way.
I sense a little bit of "We want our cake, yours, and all the fixins, as we plan on eating it all anyway".
I thought "Private" was very good. In fact in some ways I liked it better than "Paradise Now," because "Private" showed more of what ordinary people deal with as opposed to the already well-publicized violent reaction of some.
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