 |
‘Divine Intervention’ explores the struggle of daily life in Palestine. |
Life under Israeli occupation is no life at all, rather a series of absurd, over-the-top, oddly-strung-together vignettes of reality and fantasy as seen in Palestinian director Elia Suleiman’s new film, Divine Intervention, which is making the rounds at various film festivals in the United States.
Though quite imaginative in scope, the film (which took the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes International Film Festival) turns on itself in striving to be ultimately skillful. Suleiman plays all the cinematic tricks of cleverness, creating a series of character sketches and mini-movie moments rather than a cohesive story. It’s a buffet of intriguing scenes rather than a complete, satisfying dinner. But that seems to be his goal all along.
There is no plot, really. The only story seems to be of E.S. (played by Suleiman himself), a silent Palestinian who eloquently carries on a subtle romance with “The Woman”, (a visually stunning Manar Khader). The two never speak and only can meet at the Al-Ram checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah where they sit in the car and caress each other’s hand while mutely watching the absurdity of Israeli soldiers demeaning those trying to cross the checkpoint.
Khader is the real fire of the movie. She is the proverbial lady in red who can literally topple a checkpoint as she deliberately struts by, daring the soldiers to stop her. In probably the most visceral and memorable scene of the film, Khader emerges from behind a life-size mockup of herself swathed in a Palestinian checkered scarf. As six Israeli gunmen try to take her down, she dodges and deflects bullets with moves a la The Matrix. Ultimately she decimates the group as well as a helicopter behind her.
Such scenes are scattered throughout the film. They’re disturbing, but thrilling. There’s the opening sequence of a Santa running up hill, dropping presents as four boys chase him. He seems to escape only to end up with a knife in the chest. Then there’s the seemingly benign elderly Palestinian man driving his car, nodding to his neighbors while muttering obscenities about them under his breath.
What do these scenes mean? What do they have to do with each other? The point seems to be that when you’re under constant occupation, the smallest moments of defiance (or flights of fantasy) keeps you going – as when E.S. arrives at a stoplight and turns to see an Israeli Jew in the car next to him. So he blasts an Arab pop song (Natacha Atlas’ “I Put a Spell on You”), dons his sunglasses and stares him down. Or earlier in the film when he releases a red balloon with Yasser Arafat’s visage on it across the Al-Ram checkpoint. Small things.
But this message is often lost among the loosely strung scenes and characters. The minimalist dialogue is the biggest crutch – the first half an hour has so little conversation that the viewer is virtually lost in crazy characters. This, coupled with some unnecessary obscenities, makes for a difficult viewing experience.
Perhaps Suleiman means to set up a provocative, dead-on vision of life under Israeli occupation through the intertwining sequence of events, people and punch lines. But it’s hard to follow. It’s easier to be lost and confused, with brief flashes of “aha!” understanding and humor.
For Muslims there’s little to gain from the film other than a wry appreciation for what Palestinians endure on a daily basis. Violence is such a part of the daily routine that a major reaction is impossible to expect. Again, it’s the small things that matter. As A.O. Scott writes in the New York Times, “Divine Intervention can make you laugh at the current situation in the Middle East without feeling much better about it.”
But is that what we really need? Maybe. For the film ultimately seems to ask: If we can’t retain our humor, then how can we keep our strength to keep living, to keep resisting?
|
