Omar’s got a problem: how to balance staying the good street soldier in the West Bank Palestinian liberation movement while remaining on course to settle down with the sister of his comrade-in-arms. We are introduced to Omar (Adam Bakri) as he scales a wall more than 20 feet high in the Occupied Territories in order to pull off a routine visit to his beloved. Shots soon ring out, reminding us of the level of precariousness that everyday interactions entail in these parts. Ratchet up the danger when Omar and two fellow Palestinian freedom fighters (or terrorists, depending on your point of view) are militant defenders of their perceived injustices, and we’ve got a potential powder-keg of a film.
Omar’s love interest, Nadja (Leem Lubany), reminds one of an Arab version of a character straight out of Little House On The Prairie or The Patty Duke Show. Omar is as nice to her as he is nasty to anyone who gets in his way. His better self served by such a contrasting romantic energy, it’s no wonder he strives to undo himself from political and legal entanglements as best he can without losing face. End the occupation but begin a life anew. Problem is, loyalties in this particular world engender a fluidity all their own. The Israeli police, as avid toward their goals as Omar and his pals are to theirs. know how to manipulate and maneuver their power to divide and conquer. When Omar decides to pretend to co-operate in order to be released from prison, it becomes a game of who’s conning who.
Directed by Hany Abu-Assad Omar was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Academy Award. Although this Oscar category may be an arcane, logic-defying process where near-universally acclaimed films like The Past and Blue Is The Warmest Color go ignored, Omar deserves the recognition. It strives to marry a
>> riveting action yarn with a damn compelling character study and mostly succeeds. In a perfect world where foreign language films would stand a shot at snagging acting nominations, Walter F. Zuaiter, as an Israeli police agent who speaks perfect Arabic, would also be recognized. In a great scene where he takes a phone call in Hebrew only to get berated by a henpecking wife, we are left guessing whether Omar, who is within earshot, is being conned by a fake phone call.
The film at first glance seems like it may suffer from one too many twists. It forces you to go deeper and realize the twists perfectly set up the film’s dramatic fadeout finale, which not only works on a symbolic level but seems an inevitable outcome. This movie doesn’t play around. The performances by the cast of mostly non-professional actors sizzle. Omar’s customs, sharply portrayed, both enrich his character and stymie his growth. The two sides almost appear to be reaching an understanding, then quickly default into the status quo. An impossible situation remains exactly that.
4 Middle East Maneuvers and Mayhem (out of 5)