In spite of a potential political minefield, director Sameh Zoabi along with co-writer Dan Kleinman navigates a narrative between provocation and playfulness.
Something of a drifter, Salam Abbass (Kais Nashif) works as a general dogsbody on the popular 1967-set Palestinian soap opera Tel Aviv on Fire produced in Ramallah by his uncle. Living in Jerusalem, he passes through the Israeli checkpoint each day. With the tacky espionage soap opera as popular with Israelis as Arabs, the checkpoint commanding officer Captain Assi Tzur (Yaniv Biton) looks to influence the plot – with Salam the willing pawn.
It’s a grower of a film with serious intent underlying the parody and lightheartedness that teeters on the edge of trivialising the politics of the region. But with its focus on the individuals involved, Tel Aviv on Fire is a genial, occasionally funny, non-confrontational allegory.
Rating: 64%
Director: Sameh Zoabi (Under the Same Sun, Man Without a Cell Phone)
Writer: Sameh Zoabi (The Idol, Man Without a Cell Phone), Dan Kleinman (Rage, Ultra Warrior) – based on the Mexican film by Ricardo Hernández Anzola
Main cast: Kais Nashif (Paradise Now, Body of Lies), Yaniv Biton (TV’s Alumim, Shabas), Lubna Azabal (Incendies, Simone: Woman of the Century)
An Opinion or Two 