The Attack (2012) was co-written and directed by Ziad Doueiri. This is a dark and troubling film about a dark and troubling situation--the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
The gifted actor Ali Suliman plays Dr. Amin Jaafari, a Muslim surgeon who has chosen to live and work in Tel Aviv. He is so successful that he receives a prestigious medical honor from the Israelis. His world is shattered when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. As if that's not horror enough, his wife is accused of being the suicide bomber who triggered the explosion.
After that, we follow the protagonist as he tries to learn the truth about what role--if any--his wife played in the bombing.
I think this is an excellent film--well written, well directed, and well acted. I'm not an expert in Middle East politics, but I think the movie was made stronger by the director's refusal to take sides in the tense Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A friend who is an expert in the area told me that the Israeli population is not monolithically opposed to the Palestinian cause. An entire spectrum of beliefs about the conflict and its solution is found in Israeli. Unfortunately, here in the United States opinion is much more rigid and monolithic.
The only fault I found with the movie is that sometimes the plot wasn't completely clear to me. It was probably crystal clear to someone who knows the situation and the languages, but I don't, so I wasn't always sure exactly what was happening. Other than that, the film was truly superb. The Attack carries a modest 6.7 IMDb rating. Don't be thrown off by that rating--it's too low. I gave the film a rating of 9, and could easily have given it a 10.)
This is a movie worth seeking out and seeing. Just be prepared to be discouraged by the political reality of a problem that apparently doesn't have a solution.
The gifted actor Ali Suliman plays Dr. Amin Jaafari, a Muslim surgeon who has chosen to live and work in Tel Aviv. He is so successful that he receives a prestigious medical honor from the Israelis. His world is shattered when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. As if that's not horror enough, his wife is accused of being the suicide bomber who triggered the explosion.
After that, we follow the protagonist as he tries to learn the truth about what role--if any--his wife played in the bombing.
I think this is an excellent film--well written, well directed, and well acted. I'm not an expert in Middle East politics, but I think the movie was made stronger by the director's refusal to take sides in the tense Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A friend who is an expert in the area told me that the Israeli population is not monolithically opposed to the Palestinian cause. An entire spectrum of beliefs about the conflict and its solution is found in Israeli. Unfortunately, here in the United States opinion is much more rigid and monolithic.
The only fault I found with the movie is that sometimes the plot wasn't completely clear to me. It was probably crystal clear to someone who knows the situation and the languages, but I don't, so I wasn't always sure exactly what was happening. Other than that, the film was truly superb. The Attack carries a modest 6.7 IMDb rating. Don't be thrown off by that rating--it's too low. I gave the film a rating of 9, and could easily have given it a 10.)
This is a movie worth seeking out and seeing. Just be prepared to be discouraged by the political reality of a problem that apparently doesn't have a solution.