Fresh
The visual puns, sight gags and the little parables told by the few speaking characters are rarely laugh-out-loud funny. But they provoke thought, debate and diverse interpretations.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Divine Intervention
2002 · 1h 32m · N/A
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by
Elia Suleiman
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
Divine Intervention
Overview
Santa Claus tries to outrun a gang of knife-wielding youth. It's one of several vignettes of Palestinian life in Israel - in a neighborhood in Nazareth and at Al-Ram checkpoint in East Jerusalem. Most of the stories are droll, some absurd, one is mythic and fanciful; few words are spoken. A man who goes through his mail methodically each morning has a heart attack. His son visits him in the hospital. The son regularly meets a woman at Al-Ram; they sit in a car, hands caressing. Once, she defies Israeli guards at the checkpoint; later, ninja-like, she takes on soldiers at a target range. A red balloon floats free overhead. Neighbors toss garbage over walls. Life goes on until it doesn't.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
81%
Tomatometer
Fresh
It makes for an intriguing example of how to use art, rather than bombs, to make a sustained political point.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Fresh
Simmering, sharply observed work.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Fresh
Suleiman's argument seems to be that the situation between Palestinians and Israelis has settled into an hopeless stalemate, in which everyday life incorporates elements of paranoia, resentment and craziness.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh
A film whose eerie blend of deadpan wit and inner angst upset all your expectations.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
More films
The Time That Remains (2009)
Drama · History · N/A
An examination of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 through to the present day. A semi-biographic film, in four chapters, about a family spanning from 1948 until recent times. Combined with intimate memories of each member, the film attempts to portray the daily life of those Palestinians who remained in their land and were l...
- Runtime
- 1h 49m
- Director
- Elia Suleiman
- Cast
- Saleh Bakri, Samar Qudha Tanus, Shafika Bajjali
IMDb
7.1
Rotten Tomatoes
84%
Metacritic
74
The Four Robinsons (1939)
Comedy · N/A
Four friends pretend a cruise to escape their wives and go clubbing, but they are forced to go through face-saving shipwreck, becoming castaways.
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Antonio Vico, Mary Santpere, Fernando Rey
IMDb
5.8
La mantilla de Beatriz (1946)
Drama · Romance · N/A
In XVII century Portugal two friends change identities so one of them can escape an unwanted marriage to Beatriz.
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Virgílio Teixeira, Margarita Andrey, María Isbert
Comments
Talk about the film with other members