Zaytoun, 2012.
Directed by Eran Riklis.
Starring Stephen Forff, Alice Taglioni, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman and Abdallah El Akal.
SYNOPSIS:
Set in 1982, an Israeli fighter pilot, Yoni, gets shot down over Lebanon and subsequently kidnapped by a group of refugee Palestinians. After making his escape, Yoni attempts to make his way back home, and along the way forms a tentative bond with one of the kidnappers: a young boy whose entire world has been turned upside down.
Over the last decade, Hollywood has released a slew of films dealing with the hostility and tension in the Middle East; everything from the lack of nuclear weapons in Iraq (Green Zone) to the murky issue of torture (Rendition). While some were good and others not so good, they all shared one thing in common: very disappointing box office. It seems audiences are simply not interested in the conflict which dominates our news channels. Even The Hurt Locker, a multiple Oscar-winning, struggled to rake in the cash.
Zaytoun, a more low-key and independent film than the above, is unlikely to change this. However, while films such as Body of Lies and Syriana are quite heavy, plot-driven affairs (i.e. incomprehensible and worthy); this is more character-driven. Much of the running time is a sort-of mismatched buddy-comedy/road movie. At first, the guff Israeli soldier and gung-ho young Palestinian lad don’t see eye-to-eye. But, after travelling through the desert and dealing with various trials and tribulations, they learn to put their differences aside and work together. Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
Clearly, originality is not on the agency. Nor is the ‘shouldn’t we just put our differences aside and get along?’ theme dealt with in a subtle manner. The script also plays it surprisingly safe considering the subject matter, as if it’s afraid of causing controversy or taking sides. This doesn’t make it a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, and there are some nice characters beats, but, in the end, it fails to rise above the TV movie feel.
With this lack of ambition, you do get the sense that the filmmakers aren’t expecting this to be seen outside of the festival circuit. This is cemented by the very earnest tone, despite the few forced attempts at comedy. In principle, a smaller, more intimate film about this complex conflict is a nice change of pace. It’s just a shame it doesn’t add up to much.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
David Bishop
Originally published April 8, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
