THE STORY – In 1936, as Palestinian villages revolt against British colonial rule, Yusuf navigates between Jerusalem and his rural home, amidst escalating unrest and a pivotal moment for the British Empire.
THE CAST – Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Robert Aramayo, Saleh Bakri, Yafa Bakri, Karim Daoud Anaya, Wardi Eilabouni, Ward Helou, Billy Howle, Dhafer L’Abidine, Liam Cunningham & Jeremy Irons
THE TEAM – Annemarie Jacir (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 118 Minutes
It’s hard to articulate the importance of a film like Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” existing amidst the ongoing conflict happening within the country. The aggressive starvation campaign in the Gaza Strip is only the latest example of an endless series of retaliation from occupying forces that continue to inflict damage on a country inhabited by those who have existed there for centuries. With Jacir’s newest endeavor, she ambitiously aims to paint a picture in its totality of a country that has, to this day, suffered at the behest of others. Yet it’s a story that, despite the tragedy surrounding it, is built upon hope. “Palestine 36” is a sprawling period piece that aims to assemble a diverse range of perspectives, all of which culminate in a unified cause. Even when Jacir’s direction wavers at its best, this is a film about the everlasting fortitude of the Palestinian people.
Jacir’s radiating feature primarily focuses on the year 1936 in the heat of the British Mandate for Palestine. The United Kingdom’s occupation of Palestine (or, as the territory is also referred to, Mandatory Palestine) has already taken its toll on its citizens. The UK is now taking it further, as it declared the country of Palestine to be the new home for Jewish immigrants seeking refuge, and the rise of settlers coming in to take the land from Palestinian families. The increase in unemployment for Palestinians led to the hiring of Jewish immigrants at cheaper prices. The unlawful abuse at the hands of the British military. All of these are issues that coalesce to unite Jacir’s broad array of characters that are witnessing their homeland being taken from them. Jacir’s screenplay uses Karim Daoud Anaya’s Yusuf as the anchor point for all those who cross his path directly or indirectly.
Yusuf aspires for greatness, constantly leaving his village for the city life in Jerusalem, working as a chauffeur for an affluent family with ties to the government and media. Like most of the characters in Jacir’s story, his experiences in the city, along with the rise of aggression from the occupiers in his territory, only instill dissent towards the powers that be. The same could be said about Saleh Bakri, a dock worker turned freedom fighter, Khalid. A man is frustrated with seeing opportunity ripped away from him as he is treated less and less like a human each day. The story of “Palestine 36” aims to capture all those impacted by differing facets of Palestinian life, whether it’s Wardi Eilaboun’s Afra trying to keep her family together amidst every growing change or Yasmine Al Massri’s Khouloud, a free-spirited journalist who witnesses the institution she dedicates her life to fall victim to the rising influence of zionism. It’s this relatively grounded sense of grandeur that gives Jacir’s efforts a sense of immensity both emotionally and visually. Jacir’s direction has never been on this scale, recapturing a wide variety of locales of this territory along with implementing real-life archival footage from this period that only adds a sense of heft to her storytelling.
There are a lot of moving pieces in the screenplay that lead certain characters to be far more fleshed out or at least far more preferable to the audience in terms of seeing their story resumed. Yusuf, whom the film follows from the start, takes a back seat as others begin gaining far more prominence in the story Jacir wishes to tell. While they are all in service of the same outcome, it does lend itself to being a bit jarring. It doesn’t help that Tania Reddin’s editing at times impinges on Jacir’s storytelling, making it feel as if certain pivotal moments are rushed along in favor of progressing this story that has lots of mileage to get through. Jacir’s ability to get her performers to elevate the material does help, especially when you have veteran actors like Jeremy Irons and Hiam Abbass to anchor what is a large ensemble. Massri’s performance stands out as her outspoken nature that brings her at odds with those she’s closest to pays off dividends by the time we last see her on screen. Everyone does what they are asked to do, even someone like Billy Howle, whose character, Thomas, a British official somewhat sympathetic with the plight of the Palestinians, attempts to show that decency isn’t limited to only one type of person.
“Palestine 36” isn’t some grand epic in terms of spectacle, despite Jacir stretching herself formally as a filmmaker to a point she’s never been to before. Its sense of Homeric nature is derived from the actual history and the figures depicted united for something far larger than themselves. In a time where history is constantly being changed, it’s more than admirable that Jacir, at the height of her career, can use her platform to spotlight the history of a people who have had to fight their entire lives and still fight to this day. It’s hard not to leave “Palestine 36” without feeling some type of way, and that’s all due to the talent of Jacir.
