Inch’Allah
InReview
Caught between the conflict of Israel and Pakistan a Canadian doctor is drawn in by a war that is not hers to fight.
Inch’Allah is a gripping attempt to show the moral conflict of the fight for land in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the people caught in its ongoing war. Written and directed by the highly regarded Canadian director Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, the film sees the Palestinian/Israeli conflict through the unblinking wide-eyes of an outsider – doctor Chloe.
It is a beautifully shot film opening with a devastating explosion in an outdoor café, the reasons for which gradually unfold through the rest of the movie.
Chloe, played with a frightened intensity by Evelyne Brochu, works on the Palestinian side of the conflict looking after mothers and their babies, while living in Israel. Her connections to both sides come in the form of young female friends. Rand, one of the patients at her clinic and her family, and her neighbour Ava, an armed border guard.
The similarities between her friendships with these two women are shown in everyday gestures of comfort at home, or by a stolen cigarette.
Sabrina Ouazani is delightful and surprising as the warm hearted Rand who laments her lack of freedom, the fact her family needs a special authorization by their white doctor friend to visit their mother’s old village. But at the same time Ava, played with a deep intensity by Sivan Levy, who goes partying and drinking with Chloe, is a conscript with no option but to continue working for the army as a border control guard.
Through this Chloe’s options and freedom begin to draw her into dangerous places. “It is not your war,” Ava tells her. But Chloe represents the Western involvement in the conflict, and in this film, at least, her eventual decisions lead to dire consequences.
Barbeau-Lavalette has ensured that no side is portrayed as villainous, but more so how each is conflicted and human. The texture and fragility of the often brutal life in Palestine is captured in a way which takes you onto the frightened streets. Chloe’s time on this side of the border is tense, even when safe in the home of her loved ones.
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
In contrast, the Israeli side is more modern, relaxed and appears safer. There is a tender moment where Chloe applies lipstick to her Palestinian friend Rand while they seek finds a dump. The beauty of the red highlights further how far she is from the life of Israel.
Inch’Allah is a powerful and moving film. It shows the uncertainty and unfairness of a life on war to people on both sides of the conflict.
Inch’Allah is part of the Israeli Film Festival which is on this weekend at Palace Nova.
Support local arts journalism
Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia.
Donate Here
Comments
Show comments Hide comments