It is very common to see movies and series where the story and the script surpass and stand out more than the actors, but occasionally also happens the opposite and no doubt this is one of these occasions where the actors are the ones who bring the story to life with masterful performances.

This film narrates a drama that represents a certain taboo in the Arab communities, where something as common as infidelity is taken to an extremely intense plane for its religious and moral repercussions, especially because the story is developed in Jerusalem, the holy city and cradle of three religions extremely influential and powerful.

The story begins shyly introducing us to Sarah a Jewish woman, married to a policeman with whom she has a little daughter and who also manages a small cafe that she owns. And in the other side Saleem a Palestinian, married to woman call Bisan, with whom he has a son. A humble man with a precarious job, delivering supplies to...yes Sarah.

The main and inevitable conflict of the movie explodes when these two people begin to have an affair with tints of uncontrolled passion. The rest of the story is a web of passions in which the most disqualifying meanings appear.

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The story basically puts us in front of a permanent conflict, an exciting film that not only tells a love story but also a story of two neighboring villages where the hatred of one against the other reigns, attempting against any possibility of coexistence and happiness. The interesting thing about the film is that it explores all possibilities.

Digging into the story.

The whole film is narrated to give us multiple sensations, at times we feel in front of a police film and in others in front of a black comedy, with large doses of humor where a detention acquires touches of kidnapping and where the absurd is imposed naturally on the rational and common sense. A simple affair between a man and a woman not only ends in a drama of gigantic proportions but is also transformed into a complete sample of a state of desperate situation governed by hatred and irrationality.

Nevertheless, the film goes further. It speaks and shows the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Jerusalem, where Catholics, Jews and Muslims live side by side. The film shows a situation where the woman of the 21st century is not only ignored as a person but also reduced to a property that prevents her from acting, and above all, thinking as a free person. The worst thing about this situation is that the woman herself is conditioned by her own personal atavisms that prevent her from thinking and developing, even if she has access to higher education.

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Ruled by hatred, immersed in a daily violence that clearly attacks their individual freedoms, where internal walls have been built, the story of Sarah and Saleem surprises because it makes it clear that the Arab-Israeli issue goes beyond the terrorist issue characterized by the attack to become a daily issue governed by unreason.

The plot stands out for its intensity and a type of drama that exploits the feelings of the characters and where the traffic of influences, clandestinity and dubious morality stand out and form an essential part of this story of passion. It does not judge the characters or their actions, but leaves it up to the viewer to understand the motivations. What surrounds Sarah and Saleem's environments is what creates the greatest value in their stories. A very elaborate script in which actors don't need to pronounce the words to make us understand everything that is happening. Pain, fear, truth and above all, humanity is what engages the viewer. The film seeks to show a reality that can be uncomfortable by exhibiting the internal wars that people still face while underscoring the feminine empowerment that ends up manifesting.

Digging into the performances.

The actors that are part of this film are the breaking point of this story, since they represent the human factor that achieves a round result in the staging. Sivane Kretchner gives freshness, contradiction and modernity through his character. She is very expressive, which allows her to be a book open to her feelings. Adeeb Safadi, like Kretchner, contrasts perfectly with the story thanks to an intrinsic passivity that perfectly captures the nature of a humble but fervently in love man. Both form a combo with a lot of chemistry, which is not looking for cheap romanticism.

Maisa Abd Elhadi is undoubtedly the best interpretation of the film. The actress plays Bisan, Saleem's wife, offering us a sentimental break full of innocence and maturity. In spite of starting as a secondary character, she ends up being decisive and consolidates herself as the main character along with Sarah. Brilliant and natural. Finally, Ishai Golan gets into the skin of David, Sarah's husband. Like Safadi and his Saleem, Golan mimics David, giving his character an implacable coldness that reaches the audience. A determination and seriousness that goes unnoticed in the first half of the film, which ends in frenzy in the second part. Both Safadi and Golan manage to give greater strength to the female characters, a total success.

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Final thoughts.

This is a film that goes beyond a story of passion, becomes a very elegant social criticism and with a very important message. It leaves aside personal moral judgments, to extrapolate them to a more social and public perspective. The conflict between Palestine and Israel comes to life and manifests itself in its protagonists. From a humane, sincere and heartbreaking vision, one sees the effects of the lack of freedom, the Arab-Israeli front and the great social differences in these countries. These great interpretations succeed in raising the work of actors who are mostly unknown to the general public. A deep and very well-constructed script. Muayad Alayan makes a brilliant introspection of the personal pain of a wounded people and is a cry that far from calling from despair, does so from humanity.

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