OBSERVER: All That’s Left Of You
Directed by and starring Cherien Dabis, All That’s Left of You is a saga that spans some seven decades and details the plight of the Palestinian people.
Hanin (Dabis) and Salim (Saleh Bakri) struggle to assist their father, Sharif (Mohammad Bakri) who, now dispossessed, longs for the orchards of his homeland.
Adding to the turmoil is the loss of Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) their rebellious son who has been shot when a demonstration against the Israeli rule goes awry.
What we witness is the fragmenting of family, the loss of autonomy, the humiliation of dealing with authorities while under Martial Law and the frustration of negotiating with an indifferent bureaucracy. It is only after Hanin and Salim are able to migrate to Canada that they can return to the land of their birth unhindered, something denied those eking out a living in the prescribed zones.
This is challenging viewing at times, for the despair is heartfelt.
Ethical and moral dilemmas occur when Hanin and Salim choose to allow Noor’s organs to be harvested to save the lives of others. His heart is given to Ari, an Israeli (Dominik Maringer).
The moment between Hanin and Ari 30 years after Noor’s death is telling. The suffering in The Levant is real and the conflict there ongoing.
Symbolically, Hanin and Salim return to the sea at Jaffa by the end of the film but only as tourists. The irony is palpable.
For many Palestinians, this resolution is a romantic ideal and unachievable. It speaks of the need to find a way forward given the conflict in the region but few can avail themselves of this option.
The human struggle remains while politicians bicker.
Now screening in Australian cinemas.
Review by David McLean