Gaza Mon Amour (2020) – Palestine غزة مون أمور (2020) – فلسطين
A slow-burn romance-drama doesn’t only need to contain awkward flirting and misunderstandings, as is the case with Gaza Mon Amour, directed by Arab & Tarzan Nasser. This film takes an empathetic, albeit critical, look toward poverty, religion, marriage, and occupation. The narrative revolves around Issa, a 60-year old fisherman, navigating his own anxiety over trying to ask Siham, an older seamstress, to marry him. The politics are a palpable undertone, with news broadcasts discussing the growing unrest between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces. The film, itself, is short and bittersweet. We are put in the middle of Issa’s and Siham’s lives, and we leave before we can get a proper, heart-swelling conclusion. C’est la vie, as there is no happily ever after in the real world, we can only do the best we can to make the most of life.
The Breadwinner (2017) – Afghanistan د ډوډۍ ګټونکی (2017) – افغانستان
Directed by Nora Twomey, this animated film is based on a novel of the same name. The Breadwinner, originally written by Deborah Ellis, is unique on this list (but not in the cinema diaspora) due to the fact that although its characters and storylines are in Afghanistan, neither the film crew nor the author are Afghans. In terms of the narrative, however, The Breadwinner speaks of a child, Parvana, and her experience living in 2001 Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. Over the course of the film, which is beautifully animated, soundtracked, and acted, we are shown the complications, controversies, and companionships that are born from an oppressed citizenry. There are moments of humor, solemnity, and bravery that will leave viewers wishing that Parvana, her friends, and her family may one day know peace and happiness.
Waltz with Bashir (2008) – Israel ואלס עם באשיר (2008) – ישראל
This animated war documentary is directed by Ali Folman, whose personal life is what inspired the film. Folman was a part of the Israeli Defense Forces during the 1982 Lebanon War, and the film focuses on his attempts to remember everything that he had repressed in the 20 years since the war, and more specifically since the Sabra-Shatila Massacre. Waltz with Bashir covers the emotional significance of being a young man, barely past his teenhood, and being thrust into a war. There are various disturbing scenes throughout the film, including the ending which cuts from animated to reality, showing archived footage after the Sabra-Shatila Massacre. There are rare moments of levity in this film, and it serves as a reminder that history repeats itself: we just need to educate ourselves to ensure it never does so again.