Wedding in Galilee

The movie seems more like a National Geographic documentary than like a fiction feature, which is understandable given the background of the director. Although at time painfully slow to develop and rather episodical and disjointed, the movie makes up for it in sensitivity, cinematography and subtlety. More than a story, the movie is a fresco of Palestinian rural society, split along ethnic, generational, political and gender faults. The strongest portrayal is of the Palestinian man: proud but powerless, ashamed and angry. Powerless to keep the Israelis away from their wedding, incompetent in planning and carrying out an attack against the Israeli soldiers, and ultimately downright impotent. Palestinian women by contrast are sensitive, sensual, peaceful and generally much better adjusted. Not the greatest movie ever, but a great way to understand the more subtle nuances of the Palestinian psyche.