Coming of age is a difficult time for most in ideal circumstances. For Tamer (played by Mahmood Bakri)), in Alam from writer/director Firas Khoury in his debut feature, there is the added contention of deciding what that means for him as an Israeli-Palestinian.
The film telegraphs the final conflict from the beginning with the discussions about Israel’s Independence Day, which is celebrated on the same day as Al-Nakba, the day the Palestinians memorialize their displacement from 1948. We know there will be a protest. And while I understand the inclusion of this dichotomy, as it is a great isolation of the conflict these main characters face every day and also is a great way of raising the stakes. The story was at its strongest when it focused on the little acts that could lead to punishment. Or how their history is a one-sided tale, and to get passing grades, they have to participate in burying their history.
I was particularly drawn to the decision to have them go on essentially a caper to try and replace the Israeli flag with the Palestinian one over their school. An act that in many other countries could lead to some detention, maybe a suspension, but here they speak about getting caught could lead to criminal offenses. That right there already raised the stakes enough for me for something that would normally be just a high school prank-level stuff, to be the political action they want it to be. And that made it stand out more than attending the actual protest they do later in the film.
Alam is a good collection of characters that rang true to teenagers as each had varying levels of commitment to flag plan, or reason to join in the first place. I also liked how the film addressed history and story in various ways, showing the tellers of the story. Tamer is drawn to Maysaa (played by Sereen Khass), a new student, and asks his friends what they know about her story, and why she’s at their school now. But we find out later that the story they tell isn’t the truth and the perception he was building of her began on false information. Much like the one-sided information, the teacher imparts to the class doesn’t tell the story of what happened to the Palestinian people who tried to stay. Like the grandparents of Safwat (played by Muhammad Abed Elrahman) who were still forced from their home, and even though their descendants are close, they can’t visit, let alone live, in what was once their family home. However, my favourite (tragic) character, whose story you discover later, is Tamer’s uncle. We only ever see him praying or burning things, but when we find out why he does this, it goes right to the heart.
Spoiler:
The climax is the group going to the protest after failing to put up the flag, where, of course, violence breaks out. It was a natural place for the film to go, and yet I was disappointed because even though they had a great discussion about the significance of a raising and burning of a flag, I wish they had gotten to actually raising a flag, though, I suppose its raising was symbolized by Tamer lifting one at the protest which kicked off the violence.
Alam screened in the International Competition at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival after having its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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