I knew the film would have violent scenes of brutality and killings, so I thought it would be difficult to watch. But the characters drew me in. I loved that each of the characters was flawed, which is often missing from depictions of true stories. Farha's stubborn nature kept her in her village as it was invaded and emptied of Palestinians. Her father was stuck in his traditional ways and believed too much in the empty promises of the Arab armies. The treasonous relative who "was trying to help." The cowardly soldier whose heart was too weak to kill the baby, so he left the baby to die. All together, it made the film feel like we had a lens into the past. Or like it was all still happening right now, in the same place, with the same people, 74 years later.
I loved the filmmaker's dedication to the set, the costumes, and even the dialects. It truly paid homage to a people and their story, as they experienced it. And like all coming of age stories, the themes of rebellion and fear and angst were so relatable. But just as Farha's desire to learn and grow and be free filled you with hope she'd grow up to be an extraordinary woman, her story was just ordinary enough that it could speak to the experiences of 75% of the Palestinians alive during the events of 1948. I'm sure the woman farha's story is based off of is extraordinary nonetheless. It's a beautifully told story of unspeakable tragedy that is still unfolding today and whose victims still await justice. A must watch.
I loved the filmmaker's dedication to the set, the costumes, and even the dialects. It truly paid homage to a people and their story, as they experienced it. And like all coming of age stories, the themes of rebellion and fear and angst were so relatable. But just as Farha's desire to learn and grow and be free filled you with hope she'd grow up to be an extraordinary woman, her story was just ordinary enough that it could speak to the experiences of 75% of the Palestinians alive during the events of 1948. I'm sure the woman farha's story is based off of is extraordinary nonetheless. It's a beautifully told story of unspeakable tragedy that is still unfolding today and whose victims still await justice. A must watch.