Private (2004)

A Palestinian family is trapped inside a house commandeered by Israeli soldiers.

Director:

Saverio Costanzo

Writers:

Saverio Costanzo, Sayed Kashua

Stars:

Mohammad Bakri, Lior Miller, Hend Ayoub

13 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Mohammad Bakri	...	Mohammad B. (as Mohammed Bakri)
Lior Miller	...	Commander Ofer
Hend Ayoub	...	Mariam B.
Tomer Russo	...	Private Eial
Areen Omari	...	Samiah B.
Marco Alsaying	...	Jamal B.
Sara Hamzeh	...	Sarah B.
Karem Emad Hassan Aly	...	Karem B.
Amir Hasayen	...	Amir B.
Niv Shafir	...	Private Dan
Sahar Lachmy	...	Private Ariel

Storyline

A Palestinian family with five children lives outside town, near Israeli settlements. Samia, the wife, wants to leave; so does one teen son. Mohammad, the patriarch, is adamant that he is staying. Two of his adolescent children want to fight. His is the passive aggression of non-violent witness. Israeli soldiers burst into the home, taking over the second floor. At night, the family is locked in the living room. We see the effects of the occupation on the children and on the marriage. Through the eyes of Miriam, the older daughter, we watch the soldiers from her hiding place. Jamal, the eldest son, sets a trap with a grenade. Characters call upon Allah. Chaos and death are close.

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Plot Keywords:

israeli | soldier | israeli soldier | palestine | palestinian | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the Israeli soldiers in the film leaves behind a paperback copy of "Blindness" by Jose Saramago in the Palestinian house they have occupied.

User Reviews

Pseydo, but real

Some might argue that this movie rides on the rise of the documentary movies. And while this movie is shot like one, it is very clear that it ain't a documentary. That leads to the question, how real the situations depicted in the movie are? While I can't tell you that, neither can anyone else talk about the situation, if he/she hasn't lived it.

Back to the "reality" of the movie. Although we know that actors play a written scenario, this movie feels more real to me than any reality show on TV (not that I watch them)! Having said that and not wanting to spoil to much of the story, I'll only say that I was impressed with the actors (although I don't think all were professionals).

Especially the guy who played the father. The story really grabbed me and I was amazed by little things. Things that in the western World you'd take for granted, but clearly they're not. At least not for everybody in this world ...

It's not a movie that'll "entertain" you in a funny way, but it might make you think about some things in a different light.

Details

Official Sites:

Distributor site Official site

Country:

Italy

Language:

Arabic English Hebrew

Release Date:

14 January 2005 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Domicilio privado

Filming Locations:

Riace, Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,987, 20 November 2005

Gross USA:

$15,811

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,595,697

Company Credits

Production Co:

Istituto Luce, Offside, Cydonia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 125 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1