Palestinian film, coproduced by Moroccan TV, prized at Cannes
Palestine-Morocco, Culture, 5/28/2002

"Divine Intervention," a Palestinian film, coproduced by the Morocco second TV cannel 2M, France and Germany, on Sunday won the jury prize at the Cannes festival.

The film, by Elia Suleiman, is a story of love and pain that decries with humour the daily violence that tears apart the Palestinian society.

Speaking of his film, Suleiman says he himself is "a man of peace, absolutely non-violent." "We can see the film as a reproduction of what a violent environment can produce on a spirit like mine," he adds.

"The film is a document but not a documentary," says Suleima, adding he tried in his movie to be linear, while integrating the imaginary as a component of reality.

"To like a film like this one can lead each one to look for the small portion of fascism that it includes and not only to denounce the Israeli fascism that has become so obvious that it is obscene to say it," adds Suleiman.

"Divine Intervention" comes across mostly as a series of vignettes, illustrating the absurdities of life under Israeli occupation. Many of these vignettes are disturbing, witty and poignant; a few are just disturbing.

Israeli-manned roadblocks, one of the most humiliating aspects of Palestinian daily life, provide a running theme. In one memorable scene, the main character E.S. (played by Suleiman himself) sits in his car and blows up a red balloon featuring the face of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

The Arafat balloon soars up over the roadblock, trying to make it into Jerusalem. The Israeli soldiers are angry: they request permission to shoot it down. They're so distracted that they let a car go by without stopping it. The balloon travels to Jerusalem nonetheless, stopping near the golden Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's holiest shrines.

In another roadblock scene, a beautiful young Palestinian woman gets out of her car and strides purposefully, without hesitation, through the crossing. In only a short dress, heels and sunglasses, she can't pose any threat, but the soldiers point their guns at her. Still, she continues through.

Suleiman's own character, E.S., straddles two storylines: his father is dying in a hospital, and he's in love with a woman whom he cannot see normally, because he lives in Jerusalem and she in Ramallah.

So the two lovers are reduced to spending hours sitting in a parked car at the roadblock, wordlessly holding hands.

In one scene that reportedly upset some viewers, a group of Israeli marksmen -- it isn't clear where they are from, but they aren't in uniform -- are target shooting at a black-suited, Arab female target. Suddenly, that woman comes to life in a fantasy sequence as kind of a Palestinian Ninja warrior or Wonder Woman, deflecting bullets and turning them back on the shooters. The marksmen die, and an Israeli helicopter is blown up at the end (the scene was shot in Europe.)

Scenes like this make one wonder why festival organizers, announcing their lineup, termed "Divine Intervention" along with the Israeli film "Kedma" as "acts of peace." Amos Gitai's "Kedma" did offer a view of Palestinian suffering. Suleiman does not do the same for the Israelis in his own film -- albeit a much more successful movie than the plodding "Kedma."

Previous Stories:
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  Barefoot girl walking on snow   (1/17/1998)
  Ras Al Amoud showdown: the other side of the conflict   (9/19/1997)
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