FILM SCREENINGS

Last Days in Jerusalem

2011. Palestine/France. Directed by Tawfik Abu Wael. With Lana Haj Yahia, Ali Badarni, Samir Hawa, Kais Nashef. The Arabic title of Abu Wael’s second feature, Tanathur ("dispersal"), echoes its rich texture and finely tuned drama. The film explores the pain of uprooting oneself from home and the bonds of friendship, and draws a remarkably revealing portrait of the state of siege that characterizes Palestinian life in Jerusalem. The mental and physical barriers surrounding the characters—dramatized by recurring shots of the thick concrete walls blocking the horizon—convey with powerful acuity the sense of being trapped. Abu Wael has attempted to excavate the deeply internalized psychological drama of being Palestinian in Jerusalem today. In Arabic, Hebrew; English subtitles. 80 min.