Sunday, June 06, 2010

the time that remains


Moira+I went to the Watershed cinema for the first time in ages yesterday afternoon (can’t believe that the last time was early March!) to see Elia Suleiman’s film “The Time That Remains”. It’s a deeply personal depiction of Palestine from 1948’s War of Independence to the present day – and loosely based on his own family history. Although it’s certainly not a film which chronicles a political history, I did find that it provided a fascinating perspective on today’s Israel-Palestine struggles. Bizarrely, it also made me realise how much I’d changed my own attitudes towards Israel and Palestine – in 1967 (six days’ war), I was definitely “pro-Israel”; that’s certainly not the case these days.
The film depicts his father’s early struggle as a member of the Palestinian Resistance (with no means whatsoever) and goes on to paint a picture of his parents’ declining, latter years – these are a lovely mixture of poignancy and deadpan comedy. Sadly, there were just a handful of people in the cinema but, with a full house, I suspect the entire audience would have roaring with laughter at times.
A rather beautiful film.

2 comments:

just Gai said...

I'm experiencing Watershed cinema withdrawal symptoms. Roll on 28 June when we'll be shot of these pesky exams!

bigdaddystevieB said...

... yes, we'll celebrate with a watershed film festival month (or two?). hang in there!
x