Habibi – 6.5

An earnest and sympathetic look at the plight of two Palestinian lovers, deprived of their relationship, and ultimately their lives, by the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and stranglehold on Gaza. The male lead, unfortunately, was not appealing by Western standards, nor was his conduct particularly commendable. His female love, on the other hand, was attractive, smart and fiercely independent – all qualities we could identify with – but there was nothing terribly original about her plight or the obstacles she ran into. What was original in this bare-bones production (there was no background score, for example) was its unflinching presentation of the Israeli subjugation of the Palestinian people. (MFF)