Salt of This Sea

Jacir paints with precise strokes, each hue reflecting the truth in a way that entertains and enlightens. She creates a virtual travelogue of dispossession in the form of an outrage wrapped in a tragedy; paradoxically revealed in a beautiful film. It takes us beyond the fair and balanced view of history that each side has a point and reminds us that we are all on the same side and that is the only point that matters. The film forces us to see what is plain and in doing so makes clear the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. We are the central characters in this human drama.

The film unfolds easily in a style that is both free and rebellious, through the reflection of a bruised and suffocated Palestine. The courage of the heroine, her unwavering strength, faith and rejection of injustice mark a path where everything is but difficult and her refusal to bury her dreams contrast starkly with the reality imposed on the characters. Salt of the Sea is a deeply layered film, a film that is quasi-militant and seeped in passion, but devoid of hatred of any kind. Salt of the Sea has proved to be a great discovery, a film that is both courageous and necessary. And as a bonus, a sublime find: Suheir Hammad - both beautiful and vibrant as she moves through a variety of emotions.

Salt of This Sea compels us to make a choice between the cold comfort of indifference or the knowledge that we can make a difference. The turnstiles were installed by us in the land and in our hearts. Salt of This Sea reminds us that we have the power to tear those turnstiles down.

It's true. This movie lacks nuance. And it may be true that it delivers its message rather harshly and caustically. It may even be considered more as a propaganda rather than an introspective film about trampled rights to a homeland.

But if this story is based on Soraya Tahini's actual experience when she visited the West Bank, then the viewer must take notice and, at least, listen up.

This is her story and that of Emad whom she befriended in Ramallah. Who could deny her feelings when she enters her grandfather's home in Jaffa for the first time? Is she wrong to say out loud that it was stolen from them? For Emad, visiting his family's hometown near Hebron is gut-wrenching knowing that it was the scene of a massacre of Palestinian civilians during the war of '48. In fact, the film pays tribute to the victims of that tragedy.

I thought of how the film will end after that scene in ad Dawayima where Soraya and Emad had to leave as it has been transformed into a historical park.

Suheir Hammad and Saleh Bakri bring us to those places that are important to the Palestinian identity and psyche. They succeed as actors in weaving a compelling narrative about what things are and what could be in this troubled land. They pose questions with no easy answers.

i have watched this film, during Cairo's film festival for year 2008 it was very hard to get in and see it because there was a huge crowd trying to watch it anyway i struggled and i got in and it was really worth it the story,so natural,the acting ..the scenery..the whole thing brought tears into my eyes and OR eally wished this film wouldn't end.. then i met with the actress and the director, whom informed us that the film was shot in real location by real people,even soldiers ..etc and they struggled and went through hardship in-order to bring this film into light with their own budget i encourage all of you to go and watch it or rent it..it is worth it and portrays a vivid image of the situation in the occupied lands.. well done

This is a film well worth seeing by people who want to know more about the reality of the Palestinian tragedy. Artistically made, with no hysterics about showing daily material sufferings, but instead, the ordinary life of Palestinians which has to somehow go on, with laughter, anger, happiness, pain, love, etc. It also reflected the psychological pain felt by the Palestinians wherever they may be (in USA in this case), showing how a Palestinian-American young lady seeking her roots in a country she had never seen before can in fact have the feeling of "longing" and belonging, not in any way different from the feeling of an adopted child upon meeting her/his real parents. The film is of course about Palestine and Palestinians and not about Israel and Israelis, however, it does not "demonize" anyone! See it for yourself and be the judge!

The current situation with Gaza makes Annemarie Jacir's "Milh Hadha al-Bahr" ("Salt of This Sea" in English) all the more relevant. The protagonist is a Brooklyn woman of Palestinian descent who goes to her ancestral land for the first time. Subjected to a humiliating search in the Israeli airport, she eventually makes her way to Ramallah.

Jacir's movie - which was Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards as nominee for Best Foreign Language Film- isn't about political arguments. It's about what everyone in the area feels like they've gone through. Basically, it seeks to find everyone's humanity while still making clear the humiliation that the Palestinians suffer on a daily basis (and how plenty of Israelis refuse to acknowledge this).

This isn't the sort of movie that you'd watch to understand the situation there in detail, but it still gives a good feeling of things. It could be a double bill with Julian Schnabel's "Miral". I recommend it.