Although I think the Palestinian War and Nakba are important pieces of history, and more movies should be bring this time in our history to light, I don't think this movie is good enough to recommend. I think most of the high ratings come from the emotional subject matter rather than the quality of the film itself.
The subtitled movie, Farha, was inspired by a true story and although poignant, it was often slow and frustrating to watch. The movie mainly takes place in one room at the home of a Palestinian family, and is primarily focused on the experience of the teen daughter named Farha.
14-year-old Farha is determined to get an education. As she waits for her father to decide if he will allow her to go to school in the city (instead of focusing on getting married, like a good Muslim girl) her little village erupts into violence caused by the "Palestinian Catastrophe", the destruction and displacement of Palestinian society in 1948. Farha is hidden in a small pantry off her courtyard where she hears and watches through a tiny window the catastrophe overtaking her village.
The acting is decent, but the story is slow and drawn out. The film gets claustrophobic and stagnant at times, which I guess is the point. Although Farha is supposed to be intelligent and driven, you find yourself questioning and frustrated by her choices while in hiding (as well as the choices of other characters). The plot creeps slowly along in the middle part of the movie. There just isn't a lot of substance. It starts to pick up towards the last third of the movie and then, it just ends, and a few postscript/epilogue sentences leave a not so satisfying feeling for the time invested, IMHO! Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. 5.8 stars.
The subtitled movie, Farha, was inspired by a true story and although poignant, it was often slow and frustrating to watch. The movie mainly takes place in one room at the home of a Palestinian family, and is primarily focused on the experience of the teen daughter named Farha.
14-year-old Farha is determined to get an education. As she waits for her father to decide if he will allow her to go to school in the city (instead of focusing on getting married, like a good Muslim girl) her little village erupts into violence caused by the "Palestinian Catastrophe", the destruction and displacement of Palestinian society in 1948. Farha is hidden in a small pantry off her courtyard where she hears and watches through a tiny window the catastrophe overtaking her village.
The acting is decent, but the story is slow and drawn out. The film gets claustrophobic and stagnant at times, which I guess is the point. Although Farha is supposed to be intelligent and driven, you find yourself questioning and frustrated by her choices while in hiding (as well as the choices of other characters). The plot creeps slowly along in the middle part of the movie. There just isn't a lot of substance. It starts to pick up towards the last third of the movie and then, it just ends, and a few postscript/epilogue sentences leave a not so satisfying feeling for the time invested, IMHO! Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. 5.8 stars.