“This is a film where its power is greater than the sum of its parts. The only problem is, the sequel will be live on your news screens tonight, and this series has been running for far too long.“
Con Nats
4 Scars
This film was made in Palestine and was shut down six times. Its completion is an act of artistic bravery. It shows the Palestinian view of the establishment of Israel by the British in 1936 in Palestine. It splices actual footage, colourised, in amongst more modern footage. The sets and costumes are very faithful to the era.
We follow Yusuf, (Karim Daoud Anaya) a young male who lives in a village but also works as a driver for a businessman Amir (Dhafer L’Abidine) who is part of the Muslim Brotherhood. We also follow Amir’s wife Khouloud (Yasmine Al Massri) who poses as a male journalist on a Palestinian newspaper. And there is Kahlid (Saleh Bakri) as the worker turned charismatic revolutionary. We follow each of their stories, although there are many more.
Once the settlements began in 1936, a general strike was held. It lasted for six months. The strike escalated into protests, which then became civil conflicts and then a war on the Palestinians. The British sent in 20,000 troops. That’s a massive army. It lasted three years.
The villains of this story are the British. Jeremy Irons is very convincing as High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope and Robert Armayo (Game of Thrones) as Captain Orde Wingate is essence of evil. British secretary Thomas (Billy Howe) provides the moral conscience of the British. It’s no surprise he leaves. The atrocities conducted against civilians are hard to watch, but this is no different to their present day reality. The other villains are those within, as the motives of the Muslim Brotherhood are laid  bare, which many would not know about.
Interestingly, writer-director Annemarie Jacir and writer Selma Dabbagh have kept the Jewish settlers largely off screen, and usually seen as young innocent children. There is little to no interaction between them and the Palestinians. They have been imposed on the Palestinians with no consultation or reparations for the lands they take over.
This film has been doing the rounds of festivals and has won a slew of awards, including cinematography. The acting in this film is earnest and the stories show more than a cursory understanding of the issues. Its biggest shortcoming is trying to cover so many characters and so much territory in a film, but it is difficult to sit and be enraged for more than two hours. I am sure it is one sided, but it’s not up to Jacir and Dabbagh to tell the other side; theirs is disparate, desperate and bloodied enough.
It doesn’t matter where you stand on this issue. The folly of this action can be judged by how well this action has turned out. Ninety years later we are watching the genocide of Palestinians, which tells you it has been a disaster.
It wont change the views of the hardened and may sway the views of the unaware. It does highlight the folly and ineptitude of the British empire, long after it rotted. This is a film where its power is greater than the sum of its parts. The only problem is, the sequel will be live on your news screens tonight, and this series has been running for far too long.
Con Nats, On The Screen
