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IMDbPro

A Borrowed Identity

Original title: Dancing Arabs
  • 2014
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Yaël Abecassis, Danielle Kitsis, Tawfeek Barhom, and Razi Gabareen in A Borrowed Identity (2014)
Trailer for Dancing Arabs
Play trailer1:41
3 Videos
16 Photos
Drama

A Palestinian-Israeli boy named Eyad is sent to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem, where he struggles with issues of language, culture, and identity.A Palestinian-Israeli boy named Eyad is sent to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem, where he struggles with issues of language, culture, and identity.A Palestinian-Israeli boy named Eyad is sent to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem, where he struggles with issues of language, culture, and identity.

  • Director
    • Eran Riklis
  • Writer
    • Sayed Kashua
  • Stars
    • Tawfeek Barhom
    • Razi Gabareen
    • Yaël Abecassis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    1.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Eran Riklis
    • Writer
      • Sayed Kashua
    • Stars
      • Tawfeek Barhom
      • Razi Gabareen
      • Yaël Abecassis
    • 18User reviews
    • 57Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos3

    Dancing Arabs
    Trailer 1:41
    Dancing Arabs
    A Borrowed Identity
    Trailer 1:44
    A Borrowed Identity
    A Borrowed Identity
    Trailer 1:44
    A Borrowed Identity
    A Borrowed Identity Trailer
    Trailer 1:45
    A Borrowed Identity Trailer

    Photos16

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    + 10
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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Tawfeek Barhom
    Tawfeek Barhom
    • Eyad
    Razi Gabareen
    • Young Eyad
    Yaël Abecassis
    Yaël Abecassis
    • Edna
    Michael Moshonov
    Michael Moshonov
    • Yonatan
    Ali Suliman
    Ali Suliman
    • Salah
    Danielle Kitsis
    Danielle Kitsis
    • Naomi
    • (as Daniel Kitsis)
    Marlene Bajali
    Marlene Bajali
    • Aisha
    Laëtitia Eïdo
    Laëtitia Eïdo
    • Fahima
    Norman Issa
    Norman Issa
    • Jamal
    Khalifa Natour
    Khalifa Natour
    • Bassem
    Kais Natour
    • Wassim
    Loai Nofi
    Loai Nofi
    • Wajdi
    Rona Lipaz-Michael
    Rona Lipaz-Michael
    • Headmistress in Jerusalem
    Shirili Deshe
    Shirili Deshe
    • Literature Teacher
    Keren Tzur
    Keren Tzur
    • History Teacher
    Shani Klein
    Shani Klein
    • Nurse
    Adham Abu Aqel
    • Young Nidal
    Danny Berman
    • Nadal
    • Director
      • Eran Riklis
    • Writer
      • Sayed Kashua
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    7.21.9K
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    Featured reviews

    8FilmCriticLalitRao

    Director Eran Riklis asks what does it mean to be an Arab in Israel ?

    Director Eran Riklis is a filmmaker with great responsibilities on his shoulders. Although Arabs citizens are a minority in Israel, no special treatment is reserved for them. This aspect of Israeli society, its rules and regulations have been depicted by him in this film. It revolves around a young boy who has to make personal sacrifices in order to be accepted in Israeli society. It is no surprise that his life undergoes major upheavals when he is accepted with some reticence, reservations in a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem. It is not a generalization when it is said that anybody can face issues related to culture, identity and language. If watched from this perspective, 'Dancing Arabs' is neither 100% pro Arab nor 100% anti Israel. "What does it mean to be an Arab in Israel ?" This key questions emanates from this film. 'Dancing Arabs' was the opening film during 19th International Film Festival of Kerala. Its lead actor Tawfik Barhom was the darling of the local media in Kerala state of India for more than a week. Before him, no other actor from Israeli cinema managed to become so popular.
    7Nozz

    A good job from Riklis (and Kashua)

    Before its release, this movie was given a subtitle. It's now "Dancing Arabs: A Borrowed Identity." Just as well. The only dancing I recall in the movie is dancing around the loaded issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The young protagonist is the only Arab in his school, and he makes friends with individuals while suffering discrimination in the broader social structure. It's no new observation that individuals from opposing groups can get along fine even as those groups as a whole seem to insist on remaining irreconcilable. The author of the story, Sayed Kashua, has been accepted by Jewish Israeli society while still identifying with the Arab community that is largely anti-Israeli, and the movie shows Arab hostility as counterproductive on the one hand while also showing the behavior of some Israeli Jews-- again, not so much individuals as groups-- as intolerant. According to Kashua, the movie is roughly autobiographical. With his books, along with a series of newspaper columns and a comical TV series about the stresses of being an Arab in Jewish-dominated Israeli society, Kashua won plaudits in Israel and this movie was set for a big opening when, as will happen, war with Gaza broke out. The opening was postponed for some months. At more or less the same time, Kashua received an opportunity to take up a temporary position in the USA and when he left Israel he declared glumly that he wasn't sure he would ever bother to return. So a pall is cast over the film, although the film itself is a good job from Eran Riklis, whose movies are often about individuals on a journey that helps them understand who they are.
    8howard.schumann

    Good people trying to make the best of a bad situation

    According to a 2013 census, 20.7% of Israel's population are Israeli Arabs, citizens of Israel who consider themselves Palestinian by nationality. The problems that arise from these conflicting allegiances are dramatized in Avram Riklis'("Zaytoun") film Dancing Arabs, a title that denotes those who have to straddle two cultures and "dance at two weddings." Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Sayed Kashua (who also wrote the script), Dancing Arabs, known also as "A Borrowed Identity," was the opening film of the Jerusalem Film Festival in July 2014 and was scheduled to be released immediately, but was held back until now because of the war in Gaza.

    The film, however, is not designed to stir up ethnic animosity but is rather a heartfelt coming-of-age story that transcends cultural barriers. Set in Tira, a predominantly Arab city in the Southern Triangle near the West Bank, the film begins in the 1980s. Eyad (Razi Gabareen), a brilliant young boy is praised by his father Salah (Ali Suliman, "Flying Home") who recognizes his potential to achieve more than he did in his life. Salah himself attended university in Jerusalem but, after serving jail time because of political activity supporting the Arab cause, now works as a fruit picker.

    When the class is asked in school what their fathers do for a living, Eyad says repeatedly that his father is a terrorist and refuses to change his mind even when he is hit repeatedly on the hands by the teacher, demanding he say that he is a fruit picker. When Eyad (now played by Tawfeek Barhom, "Farewell Bagdhad") is of age he is sent to a Jerusalem boarding school where his experience of trying to fit in becomes the centerpiece of the film. As the only Arab among Jews, he is an outsider who must learn to speak a new language, study a curriculum weighted against the Arab point of view, and put up with teasing by bullies.

    His difficulty with language is suggested by a scene in which Eyad pronounces the name of a rock band "Deeb Burble," because, unlike in Hebrew, there's no "p" in Arabic. As time passes, things begin to improve. One of the best scenes in the film is Eyad's eloquence in a literature class, angrily pointing out Israeli literature's inherent bias toward Arab characters, a courageous statement that even wins the plaudits of some Jewish classmates. Further, when an attractive, free-spirited classmate, Naomi (Daniel Kitsis, "S#x Acts"), takes an interest in him, they begin a relationship that grows deeper in spite of its being frowned on by society and both sets of parents.

    As part of Eyad's community service requirement, he works with Yonatan (Michael Moshonov, "Policeman") a wheel-chair bound victim of Muscular Dystrophy who loves alternative rock and has a wicked sense of humor. Yonatan's mother Edna (Yael Abecassis, "That Lovely Girl") welcomes Eyad into her home not only for her Yonatan's benefit but because she genuinely likes him. Yonatan can relate to Eyad's feeling of being separate and apart from others, though the reason is very different. "Sometimes I forget you're an Arab," Yonatan says. "Me too," replies Eyad. "Don't worry," his friend responds. "Someone will always remind you."

    Dancing Arabs is not a political film and the Arab-Israeli conflict remains marginal, only occasionally referred to when Eyad's family, mother (Laetitia Eido, "Article 23") and grandmother's (Marlene Bajali, "The Syrian Bride") instinctively pull for Saddam Hussein in the 1991 Gulf War until they realize what he is up against. The film is basically about good people trying to make the most of a bad situation and the fact that they are so alienated from each other because of cultural and ethnic differences is a sad commentary on the lack of political will on both sides.

    While people may expect violence in a film that deals with ethnic conflict, here there are no grand dramatic gestures that turn children into martyrs, only constant reminders of everyday barriers to a sense of belonging. Even when Eyad learns the language, repeats the Jewish version of history in school, and strives to become a model Arab Israeli citizen, he is reminded every day at checkpoints and roadblocks of his being different. The political situation in Israel has deep-seated roots and we know not to expect the issues raised in the film to easily resolve themselves, yet Riklis leaves several threads hanging and insists on a forced resolution that does not ring true. While this is a regrettable choice, it does not detract from a truly fine effort.
    7Garcwrites

    heartfelt moving film

    The film started off innocently, much like Eyad / Iyad is at the beginning. It's sweet, funny and almost carefree and gets serious overtime as Eyad grows up and tries to understand and fit into this adult world. Dancing Arabs' comedic tone reflects Eyad's childhood innonce, the tension and drama later on in the movie attests of this young arab's struggles to find his place and his identity around jews in Israel.

    Eran Riklis succeeded in capturing Iyad's evolution in My son, coherently interlacing different tones and getting a good performance out of Razi Gabareen & Tawfeek Barhom who both embody Eyad's life. Years of Eyad's life are smartly intertwined with the tensions in the region and Eyad's choices. Although Riklis, very skillfully took on a difficult subject and managed to make a movie advocating coexistence, My Son felt at times a bit too sugar coated. There's no denying that it is about Eyad and his journey to self discovery but some of the characters - although secondary - completely lacked substence or development. The mothers for instance, both brilliantly played by Abecassis & Eido kind of lacked personality. The Arab-Israeli tensions are in the film but they are addressed very subtle, hinted.

    The cast nicely played the bonds and chemistry between the characters. Tawfeek Barhom, awkwardness and isolation in his new surroundings is on point. He is utterly believable and convincing as the good- intentioned young arab who wants to fit in. My Son is a beautiful, funny film shining a good light on both population.

    @wornoutspines
    9jakob13

    Phenomenology of Identity

    Eran Riklis in collaboration with gifted writer Sayed Kashua has brought to the screen a thoughtful and riveting film based on Kashua's 'Dancing Arabs'. Released in North America as 'A Borrowed Identity', it unfortunately is shown only in select art houses, to a limited audience. 'Borrowed Identity' has come on to the American scene at a time of racial and ethnic tension, which in the US context is a reflection of the strain in defining who and what a person is. Kashua's script is informed in the ongoing debate in Israel for its Arab citizens of what its means to be an Israeli, at a time of rabid Jewish nationalism: at a time when the degenerative Zionist elite dreams of expelling 20 percent of Israel's population, i.e., Arabs of the right of citizenship. 'A Borrowed Identity', in a Hegelian trope, in a rude dialectic informs us that the only way Eyad, a gifted Arab Israeli, can find complete fulfillment in Israel is to become a Jew by assuming the identity of Jonathan, his doppelganger, who dies after a long bout of muscular dystrophy, with the complicity of the deceased Israeli's mother. Riklis' film should strike a chord in America in the light of the Rachel Dozeal brouhaha, whereby a white woman passes as black. The connection is problematic? And the climate in the US is hardly welcoming for understanding the plight of Arab citizens of Israel, who, as it turns out, are 'les negres d' Israel'. There is nothing to fault in the probing eye of Riklis' camera. Yael Abecassis is as ever the embodiment of discernment as Jonathan's mother, the young Tawfeek Barhom has a shrewd understanding of the film's protagonist Eyad; he infuses his character with a delicate understanding of the transformation of what Hegel calls the alter ego and then becoming Jonathan. However the love angle is predictable, but creditable, and shows the limits of Israeli liberalism. Above all, the talents of Riklis and Kashua have produced a film worthy of prizes, which the hands of less talented artists would render 'Dancing Arabs' cartoon like if not soppy in sentimentality.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      At around 1 hr there is a scene in which the main character sits on his dorm room bed and stares forlornly at the wall upon which there is a New York State license plate. The plate's design was initiated in 2010, but the scene in the film takes place in 1990.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Matzav Ha'Uma: Episode #8.11 (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      The Rape Song
      from the rock opera "Mami"

      Lyrics: Hillel Mittlepunkt

      Composed by Ehud Banai, Yossi Bar Haim

      Arranged and Produced by Yonatan Riklis

      Performed by 'Poster Bots" and Rotem Alajem

      Recorded and Mixed by Keren Biton

      Assistant: Amit Shtriker at DB Studios

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 27, 2014 (Israel)
    • Countries of origin
      • Israel
      • Germany
      • France
    • Official site
      • Pyramide Distribution (France)
    • Languages
      • Arabic
      • Hebrew
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Dancing Arabs
    • Filming locations
      • Jerusalem, Israel
    • Production companies
      • United Channel Movies
      • MACT Productions
      • Alma Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $281,540
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,308
      • Jun 28, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $930,958
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 44m(104 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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