David

David (2011/II) is co-written and co-directed by Joel Fendelman and Patrick Daly. The film is set in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. (The location represents an interesting choice, because Bay Ridge is not known as either a predominantly Jewish or Muslim neighborhood.)

Muatasem Mishal plays Daud, and intelligent, likable Muslim boy. Unfortunately, he has no friends. (I was never clear why Daud had no friends. Was it because his father was Imam of the local mosque?) Through a series of errors, Daud's precious family Qur'an ends up in the local Jewish school (yeshiva). Daud enters the yeshiva to retrieve the book. Once he's inside, everyone assumes Daud (now David) is Jewish. He joins a group of Jewish boys, who accept him despite--or because of--his gentle, shy manner.

Within a few days David is living a double life, as a young Islamic scholar and teacher, and as a Jewish boy learning about anti-Semitism and hanging out with his new friends.

There's a sub-plot involving David's sister, who is admitted to Stanford, but forbidden by her father to attend a university so far from home. However, the real story is about Daud interacting with his new friends. Muatasem Mishal is a fine actor, and it's a pleasure to watch him portray Daud on screen. He makes Daud a believable young man, and you can only wish the actor and the character well.

This isn't a blockbuster film that deals with Muslim/Jewish interactions on an international level. It's a small, quiet movie that I found charming and captivating. After all, when you consider it, why shouldn't Jewish kids and Muslim kids hang around with each other? I don't know how often this happens in Bay Ridge. I grew up in a different neighborhood in Brooklyn, and we kids were never divided along ethnic lines. On the other hand, there were Jews, Catholics, and Protestants in my neighborhood, but no Muslims.

We saw this film at Rochester's Dryden Theatre as part of the remarkable Rochester Jewish Film Festival. It will work well on DVD. It's worth finding and seeing.