This is the basically true story of Palestinian Mohammad Assaf, who won "Arab Idol" in 2013 and is now a goodwill ambassador for the UN. Those who know of his success will love to re-live it. But for perhaps the majority of westerners this is an inspiring, universal story of love conquering fear. The first 90 minutes are set in Gaza, where Assaf was raised. He showed talent early on. We assume that his sick sister will recover. But we're wrong. We're led to believe that Mohammad was inspired to succeed. The story of Mohammad's struggle to enter "Arab Idol" seems incredible. But he really did get a forged visa to Egypt, where the 2013 finals were held, and he really did break into the hotel to audition because he didn't have a ticket. The rest is history. The genuine footage of Mohammad's success being celebrated by thousands of people in streets throughout the Arab world is astonishing. Few will be able to suppress a tear as Mohammad states that he entered the contest because he wanted Palestine's voice to be heard. After success in Toronto, the film played the London Film Festival, where director Hany Abu-Assad revealed that he was mostly unable to shoot in Gaza, ostensibly because he was born in Israel. But the principal children during that first 90 minutes are Palestinian and it seems they were allowed to be taken elsewhere for the shoot, possibly Jordan. Mohammed Assaf was also present at the screening and claimed to be very proud of the way in which he was represented. This record of a talent contest inspiring goodwill between nations that continues to this day puts the nonsense that sustains the likes of "The X Factor" into a very real perspective.
8 Reviews
A must see for everyone!
sanaradville28 May 2016
What a great movie, hard to believe it is based on a true story! Amazing emotions, music, and images. We all hear in the news about what is going on in Gazza, but looking at one guy story, tells it all in such a better way. It is worth looking up videos and recording of the real Muhammad Assaf from Arab Idols before you see this movie. That is all I have been doing since I saw the movie! It is extra special that the director Hani Abu-Assad had the entire cast from Gazza. It is not about politics or religion, It is a great look at a single story and the power of Art. We all need to see more stories like this from this region of the world that is deeply ruined by political disasters.
A beautifully made movie that touches your heart, and never loses its pace.
anishamisra_8813 December 2015
This is a beautifully made movie highlighting parts of Mohammed Assaf's life, that give us a feel of where he's from, his childhood in Gaza, his talent for music and where he finally got to. It is a fantastic movie, that will touch your heart and make you fall in love with the humble young man who really changed his life around, and you can still see the modesty and humility behind his smile. This movie will take you on the journey of Assaf's life, right from his childhood growing up through the harshness of war, saving money to accomplish his dreams and his beautiful relationship with his family. This movie will make you laugh, cry, and feel so happy and proud of Assaf's accomplishments, whether you're Palestinian or from another part of the world. A MUST watch.
Beautiful story
tsimshotsui13 March 2017
The beautiful, moving story of Mohammad Assaf told in a very feel-good manner. The movie follows the same formula you might see in similar movies made in Hollywood, however context is important in this case: just as Mohammad Assaf gave Palestine a reason to celebrate, to feel proud of their nation, the movie does the same. It's a change of narrative, a chance to uplift and inspire. The strongest parts are the relationship between young Mohammad and her sister, and seeing them run and bike around the state, just letting the audience take in the setting. Crossing the border and eventually getting the audition were also strong, thrilling parts. Tawfeek Barhom does a decent to good job as grown-up Mohammad, but the Idol parts get a little awkward and Tawfeek is rather poorly edited into the screen singing. There was certainly a struggle there. Despite that though, I found myself moved.
Great example of Cheap, full of clichés and "fast food" film-making!
amr19930 June 2016
The film is a bad representation of reality. The acting is cheesy. The cinematography is more like a slang TV drama than being an actual cinematic experience. The film all in all has this amateurish feeling. The script is naïve and too straight forward, more like an average student script. I was expecting to see more of a multi- layered journey, showcasing Gaza, the people who live there, their daily life and suffering within Assaf's story, as well as a realistic representation of the actual environment where Mohammad Assaf was born and raised, but unfortunately that wasn't the direction at all.
On the contrary I found the film experience cheap, childish, and melodramatic, in some parts it says that now we're in Lebanon while we see shots of Jordan instead, lots of shots were out of sync as apparently the director decided to change the script after the production was over (and asked the actors to record new lines, and stuck the new lines on their mouths)...
Overall I would say this piece of work is a great example of films that doesn't respect its audience.
On the contrary I found the film experience cheap, childish, and melodramatic, in some parts it says that now we're in Lebanon while we see shots of Jordan instead, lots of shots were out of sync as apparently the director decided to change the script after the production was over (and asked the actors to record new lines, and stuck the new lines on their mouths)...
Overall I would say this piece of work is a great example of films that doesn't respect its audience.
A good heartfelt true story
zzzorf20 March 2018
I do love a good heartfelt true story, and this was right up my alley. I was hooked from the start and felt really bad for the sister, who would have had to have been the best actor in the movie (the main character as a boy had to be the worst I thought). The missed a trick however when they didn't really refer back to her in the Idol run.
The movie however was not without it's flaws. The splicing in of the Arab Idol took away from the emotion at the end of the movie and put a dampener on the movies end.
This however was only a minor detail as in overall terms this was a good movie which shows how reality shows can actually be important things for certain peoples.
The movie however was not without it's flaws. The splicing in of the Arab Idol took away from the emotion at the end of the movie and put a dampener on the movies end.
This however was only a minor detail as in overall terms this was a good movie which shows how reality shows can actually be important things for certain peoples.
I wouldn't bother.
GiraffeDoor3 April 2019
I want to like this movie. It's got heart and a certain charm even if it coasts on that for too long.
It's quite disorientating how we jump in time from the childhood to the present, to some extent leaving the first half of the movie somewhat irrelevant to its actual plot except to just lay thematic groundwork.
In that respect it's also lacking. A big part of it seems to be the desperation to get out of Gaza and the struggle of living there but I never really got any impression of it being a particularly bad place to live, minus its lack of healthcare subsidizations. I enjoyed watching these kids fight against all odds in trying to be musicians but unfortunately that is not what this movie is ultimately about.
When you have a cute little girl in your main cast I make some concessions but losing your best character half way through is a bit of a blow. It's really just a manufactured way of trying to touch emotional buttons but it is as crass as the real reality shows that this is about.
When we do move in time, there is again, very little groundwork really laid and I struggled to adjust to this new actor as the character I was already familiar with, more due to the pacing rather than anything wrong with the actor though.
More manufactured conflict comes from this devout friend who works at border control which had very little build up to an underdeveloped character that again resolves way too easily. There really aren't high stakes in this movie and its hard to get excited by the end now the charming, childhood in semi-quasi-poverty is over.
I did not watch this is one setting and also, bizarly, the movie goes on for like 20 minutes even when all meaningful conflict has been resolved.
It's a true (though embellished) story of how one person's struggle to make something of their talent despite the struggles of war that after the fact became somewhat of the cultural icon, but that aspect of the narrative is kind of tacked on.
Some excellent music though.I must get into Arab pop, I don't know why I haven't yet.
It's quite disorientating how we jump in time from the childhood to the present, to some extent leaving the first half of the movie somewhat irrelevant to its actual plot except to just lay thematic groundwork.
In that respect it's also lacking. A big part of it seems to be the desperation to get out of Gaza and the struggle of living there but I never really got any impression of it being a particularly bad place to live, minus its lack of healthcare subsidizations. I enjoyed watching these kids fight against all odds in trying to be musicians but unfortunately that is not what this movie is ultimately about.
When you have a cute little girl in your main cast I make some concessions but losing your best character half way through is a bit of a blow. It's really just a manufactured way of trying to touch emotional buttons but it is as crass as the real reality shows that this is about.
When we do move in time, there is again, very little groundwork really laid and I struggled to adjust to this new actor as the character I was already familiar with, more due to the pacing rather than anything wrong with the actor though.
More manufactured conflict comes from this devout friend who works at border control which had very little build up to an underdeveloped character that again resolves way too easily. There really aren't high stakes in this movie and its hard to get excited by the end now the charming, childhood in semi-quasi-poverty is over.
I did not watch this is one setting and also, bizarly, the movie goes on for like 20 minutes even when all meaningful conflict has been resolved.
It's a true (though embellished) story of how one person's struggle to make something of their talent despite the struggles of war that after the fact became somewhat of the cultural icon, but that aspect of the narrative is kind of tacked on.
Some excellent music though.I must get into Arab pop, I don't know why I haven't yet.
One fabulous movie.
maxim-wilson-573-24535213 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this film on an Emirates flight Milan to Brisbane, and just loved it. The steward serving me lunch actually saw the Arab Idol telecasts in which Mohammed Assef won. The children in the first half were enchanting-i loved his sister Noum. And I loved the singing despite not knowing the lyrics. It took me to Gaza , the tunnels to Egypt, the urban war ravaged scenery . I found it heart-warming and inspirational. I will download Assaf's music , and recommend the movie to my friends , and ? grandchildren . ( I just can't fathom the negative review on this website). I have watched The Voice. a couple of times in Australia, and found the quality of artist poor, and the contestant I preferred always seemed to come last ! I liked Australian Idol years ago , am still a fan of Jessica Mawboy.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
