Jamie passion and passionfruit!

One more on the topic of Palestine and the Israeli occupation.  This time the setting is a Palestine house in the Gaza Strip, which is taken over by the Israeli army.  The family whose house it is stay in it and are obliged to put up with a much reduced part of the house, the absence of any visitors and constant gunshots and other bellicose activity.  The situation is a microcosm of the actual occupation of Palestine and the famiy represent in their own way, the different points of view on the Palestinian side of the conflict. In that respect it is a rather contrived metaphor.  There are some good scenes which convey the sense of siege, especially one when the younger daughter gets locked out in a curfew and traumatised by the event.  The other interesting feature is the idea of the look – looking your enemy in the idea, looking out from a hiding place, having your perspective widened or narrowed and the unspoken looks between husband and wife, parents and children.  Saverio Costanzo handles this well.  I found the grainy filming to be most effective, if a little tiring, because it also conveyed the conditions in the house.  Acting is fine but by the end, the film peters out and we are left a little deflated and with a sense of frustration that it didn’t go for a little more.  Acceptable, engaging but only so far.

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