Movie Review: Three fierce outsiders share a flat in the forbidden land

By Roger Costa

In this refreshingly offbeat romantic comedy directed by newcomer Maysaloun Hamoud, three very different fierce Palestinian young women share an apartment in contemporary Tel Aviv, raising topics of feminism, equality and prejudice with coherent perspectives.

Through the individual stories of these women’s process of growing up, socializing and earning their role and respect in a male-driven society, director Hamoud comfortably displays her humanitarian statement: a determined lawyer, a lesbian bartender and a devoted bride-to-be student. The smartly structured narrative observes the development of their truthful and confident friendship as each experiences same aspects of female abuse, lack of family support and prejudice, all while trying to make a living and a career, as well as just trying to get respect for being themselves, young women who want to succeed, to love, and to celebrate living.

The actresses are fabulously convincing in their portraits of feminine endurance, building up emotionally-charged, well-spirited and truly humane characterizations. Their powerful performances were awarded at many prestigious festivals, including the Israeli Film Academy Awards which named Shaden Kanboura as Best Actress for her role as the student who just moved in to interact in this “new female world” and has serious complications with her fiancé, while the dominating Mouna Hawa as Leila, the outgoing and overwhelmed lawyer working on a complicated case and gradually involved with a mysterious new guy, won in the Best Supporting Actress category. Shaden (“Sand Storm”) conceives her character with precise doses of insecurity and innocence, and Mouna steals every scene she’s in with her exquisite charm and empowerment attitude.

The third part of the pack is played by Sana Jammelieh, a first time actress giving a breakthrough performance, carrying the anxiety, fear and revolt of not being accepted for her sexual orientation. She nabbed an Award at Haifa International Film Festival for her Artistic Achievement in the project, a prize shared with her scene-colleagues.

Shot in bright, cheerful colors, filled with lively soundtrack, optimistic humor and accurate sensibility, director Hamoud conceives an impressive first-work that delivers its issues with outstanding results. It looks at the power of womanhood, the prejudice against Arabs, the troubles generated by the male gender and the value of loyalty with genuinely courageous observations.