Divine Intervention

In Nazareth, under the guise of banal normalcy, the town embraces folly. Under pressure from his failing business, a man takes matters into his own hands and tries to break a chain reaction of petty feuds. He breaks down himself. This man is ES’s father. A love story develops between a Palestinian man living in Jerusalem and a Palestinian woman from Ramallah. The man – ES (Elia Suleiman) – shifts between his ailing father and his love life, trying to keep both alive. Because of the political situation, the woman’s freedom of movement ends at the Israeli army checkpoint between the two cities. Barred from crossing, the lovers’ intimate encounters take place on a deserted lot right beside the checkpoint. Unable to escape the reality of the occupation, their mutual desire will have violent repercussions. Against all expectations, their wounded hearts retaliate by entering a fantasy world that gives expression to remarkable acts of courage. –uniFrance