behind the silence
commentary on Divine Intervention by Elia Suleiman.
so i finally watched Divine Intervention. An independent film about love and pain amidst the palestinian-israeli conflict. After finishing it, i read what some other people had said about it and most often i read that it was "boring and lacking." I have to disagree. I can totally see how it would be boring and lacking, to the unartistic, uncultured, and uninformed eye. It's an excellent movie full of metaphors. You unimaginative fools.
SO. here are a few things that i found in the movie.
1. yes. there is little or no talking, but i think suleiman did this for two reasons. One, to allow the viewer to gain his own opinion, without being told what to think. two, to be a symbol of the voicelessness of the palestinian people.
2. I think there were a few scenes that were meant to be a symbol of the ridiculosity (yeah, i used it) of the situation. The fact that the border police called because a balloon was crossing the border and they didn't know if they should let it pass. just a little crazy.
3. The scene where a little boy is playing with a soccer ball and it goes on the roof and an authority figure rips it and deflates it and throws it back, then the boy shows up again playing with a full soccer ball: first of all, any of you who have been to the region know the importance of soccer in the eyes of the youth. it's what they do, and its sort of a release. Think about it, its a way to occupy time, take out agression, have fun, be skilled at something, and be like everyone else in the world (except america that is). I think this scene represents however that no matter what the authorities do, the palestinian people will deal with it, patch things up, and continue.
4. The voice over radio keeps barking out orders to the sodiers. and they obey. no matter who the soldiers are or where they are, it is the same voice. This is showing that not even the israeli people have their own mind, they are acting purely on what they are told, and the person telling them what to do is a mystery. Its just a voice, its not personal, its not feeling, its just a voice.
5. Two scenes i absolutely loved. The showdowns. The show down of the woman and the israeli soldiers. They pointed guns at her until she took off her sunglasses. This could be because of her beauty, but i think that it was clear that she was beautiful before she took off the glasses. Rather, i think that in her eyes was love, the eyes are the window to the soul, and as soon as the soldiers could see the love and determination in her eyes, they could no longer be violent and put down their weapons. The second showdown is in the car when ES is parked next to an israeli waving a flag. He puts in a tape and it is natacha atlas singing "I put a Spell on you." Not only is this scene great just because its amusing, but they are having a stare off, they have stopped traffic and are being honked at, but they don't see what's going on in the rest of the world or how silly they are, they only see each other. (irony? yeah...) The conflict in the middle east has become blind to so much, and the parties involved can't even see really what's going on anymore.
6. The most important symbol in the movie: one of the last scenes. Where as 5 israelis are training in a theatrical shooting performance, all of the targets fall except for one. then a girl-ninja comes and stands in front of it. This is the same girl that passed the border walking earlier in the movie, and it is the same girl that ES is in love with, only she's covered now. It doesn't matter how much she is shot at or attacked, she is not hurt, the bullets surround her head like a halo, or avoid her. She makes the hostility end when the fighters are gone and the only person left is the trainer. This symbolizes a few things. Once again, that the people barking orders are making the war, yet if it comes to them face to face with the combat, they do not know what to do. The second and most important symbol in the movie is that the one figure that ES is in love with was able to conquer. She represents love. Love is the divine intervention that can stop all the hate and fighting.
like i said, i could write a ton more on this movie, its full of symbols, and its excellent. i intend to watch it again, and perhaps i will write a commentary paper on it. for now, i'm going to appreciate it for what it is. And you know, being so familiar with nazareth myself, it was just kinda cool seeing it in a movie. I wanted to comment a little, just so people could get an idea of the symbolism in the movie (should any of you at all see it) and maybe there is a chance you wont see it as "boring."
boring movies don't win at cannes guys. really good ones do though. just look a little beneath the silence.
so i finally watched Divine Intervention. An independent film about love and pain amidst the palestinian-israeli conflict. After finishing it, i read what some other people had said about it and most often i read that it was "boring and lacking." I have to disagree. I can totally see how it would be boring and lacking, to the unartistic, uncultured, and uninformed eye. It's an excellent movie full of metaphors. You unimaginative fools.
SO. here are a few things that i found in the movie.
1. yes. there is little or no talking, but i think suleiman did this for two reasons. One, to allow the viewer to gain his own opinion, without being told what to think. two, to be a symbol of the voicelessness of the palestinian people.
2. I think there were a few scenes that were meant to be a symbol of the ridiculosity (yeah, i used it) of the situation. The fact that the border police called because a balloon was crossing the border and they didn't know if they should let it pass. just a little crazy.
3. The scene where a little boy is playing with a soccer ball and it goes on the roof and an authority figure rips it and deflates it and throws it back, then the boy shows up again playing with a full soccer ball: first of all, any of you who have been to the region know the importance of soccer in the eyes of the youth. it's what they do, and its sort of a release. Think about it, its a way to occupy time, take out agression, have fun, be skilled at something, and be like everyone else in the world (except america that is). I think this scene represents however that no matter what the authorities do, the palestinian people will deal with it, patch things up, and continue.
4. The voice over radio keeps barking out orders to the sodiers. and they obey. no matter who the soldiers are or where they are, it is the same voice. This is showing that not even the israeli people have their own mind, they are acting purely on what they are told, and the person telling them what to do is a mystery. Its just a voice, its not personal, its not feeling, its just a voice.
5. Two scenes i absolutely loved. The showdowns. The show down of the woman and the israeli soldiers. They pointed guns at her until she took off her sunglasses. This could be because of her beauty, but i think that it was clear that she was beautiful before she took off the glasses. Rather, i think that in her eyes was love, the eyes are the window to the soul, and as soon as the soldiers could see the love and determination in her eyes, they could no longer be violent and put down their weapons. The second showdown is in the car when ES is parked next to an israeli waving a flag. He puts in a tape and it is natacha atlas singing "I put a Spell on you." Not only is this scene great just because its amusing, but they are having a stare off, they have stopped traffic and are being honked at, but they don't see what's going on in the rest of the world or how silly they are, they only see each other. (irony? yeah...) The conflict in the middle east has become blind to so much, and the parties involved can't even see really what's going on anymore.
6. The most important symbol in the movie: one of the last scenes. Where as 5 israelis are training in a theatrical shooting performance, all of the targets fall except for one. then a girl-ninja comes and stands in front of it. This is the same girl that passed the border walking earlier in the movie, and it is the same girl that ES is in love with, only she's covered now. It doesn't matter how much she is shot at or attacked, she is not hurt, the bullets surround her head like a halo, or avoid her. She makes the hostility end when the fighters are gone and the only person left is the trainer. This symbolizes a few things. Once again, that the people barking orders are making the war, yet if it comes to them face to face with the combat, they do not know what to do. The second and most important symbol in the movie is that the one figure that ES is in love with was able to conquer. She represents love. Love is the divine intervention that can stop all the hate and fighting.
like i said, i could write a ton more on this movie, its full of symbols, and its excellent. i intend to watch it again, and perhaps i will write a commentary paper on it. for now, i'm going to appreciate it for what it is. And you know, being so familiar with nazareth myself, it was just kinda cool seeing it in a movie. I wanted to comment a little, just so people could get an idea of the symbolism in the movie (should any of you at all see it) and maybe there is a chance you wont see it as "boring."
boring movies don't win at cannes guys. really good ones do though. just look a little beneath the silence.
posted by bitterhoney at 9:30 PM
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