Film Forum

In the Israeli city of Haifa, four stories intertwine as members of a close-knit Arab family perform their dutiful roles while each harboring a secret that exposes both their true desires and worst fears. Oscar®-nominated for his co-directed debut drama AJAMI (a 2010 FF premiere), Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti crafts a suspenseful, intricately structured drama that draws the viewer into shared humanity with the characters—conflicts around sex, money, fidelity to clan, and personal freedom—while also painting a vivid portrait of the complexities of Arab-Jewish relationships in cosmopolitan Israel.      

2024     123 MINS.     PALESTINE / GERMANY / FRANCE / ITALY / QATAR     FILM MOVEMENT
IN ARABIC AND HEBREW WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Trailer

Reviews

“A piercing, realistic family drama, the inflection points of which reveal deep cultural and political dimensions surrounding gender and ethnicity. Like his Oscar®-nominated crime drama AJAMI (which he co-directed with Yaron Shani), Copti’s second feature follows an ensemble of characters—Arab and Jewish alike—to assemble a multifaceted portrait of life in Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city.”
– Siddhant Adlakha, Variety

“A cleverly structured Palestinian drama [that] explores constriction and complicity in Israeli society... Observes four characters whose fates are linked through a series of surprising events... The interconnected structure lays the ground for a gripping mystery attentive viewers will be eager to solve.”
– Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter