The Teacher – 8.1

Forget the context of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, as if that were possible, this film succeeds as a wonderful human drama, a gripping story with superb lead performances by Saleh Bakri and Imogen Poots, both easy on the eyes. Then add the context of Palestinian life in the West Bank, even without Israel’s later all-out assault on Gaza, and the movie’s philosophical and political messages hit so much harder. Because it is a story well told and was filmed in comparatively controlled conditions, albeit on site, this is a much stronger and more watchable movie than the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Major kudos to British filmmaker Fareh Nabulsi for pulling off a major movie with minimal resources.