The Time That Remains: Elia Suleiman’s Policy of Ambiguity

In February of 2010, a operative cinematic practices. He is most often, and and admirable, but there are Palestinian was assassinated in a Dubai hotel room by easily, compared to Tati and Keaton for his buffoons – such as the Suleiman’s drunken a group of men using stolen identities and masterful choreography, and for the silent neighbor, who perpetually douses himself forged UK passports. Mossad, ’s foreign deadpan character he plays repeatedly in his with gasoline but can never manage to light intelligence service, was strongly suspected films, and tonally there is also more than a the match properly – and there is a genuinely of orchestrating the assassination (they have touch of Chaplin’s complex sentimentality tender moment with an Israeli policeman been caught using the stolen identity trick present. But Suleiman, who retains a restless involving a karaoke performance of Celine before). However, at a press conference, the and experimental temperament, is up to more Dion. Suleiman doesn’t really mount much of Israeli foreign minister refused to confirm or than a pastiche of silent comedy. Within his a political argument – other than to denounce deny their involvement in the killing, citing episodic, tableau/gag structure, he often the oppression of in the most Israel’s official “policy of ambiguity” in these incorporates jarring moments of surrealism general way. However, his lack of political matters. that recall Bunuel or Roy Andersson; deadpan nuance is no more grounds for objection Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman moments of observational comedy that than his lack of psychological nuance; they understands both the horror and the humor bring Jarmusch to mind; quiet moments of simply fall outside the range of his aesthetic. of a phrase like “policy of ambiguity”. Consider durational, naturalistic minimalism that are Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say the full title of his semi-autobiographical new not unlike Kiarostami; and a sharply ironic that Suleiman’s aesthetic range is too broad film, The Time That Remains: Chronicles of sensibility, as well as a preference for bright, and ambitious to focus on the conventional a . After seeing the film, precise, visuals, that is reminiscent of Kubrick. sorts of political or psychological ‘nuance’. The the phrase after the colon might sound a (It ‘s characteristic of Suleiman’s complex political force of Suleiman’s films come from bit too self-consciously literary and clever. relationship to his own influences, as well as the variety and complexities of the emotions Progressing through sections set in four to cinematic history in general, that one of the and ideas he creates, rather than any precise distinct eras (1948, 1970, 1980, present day), more Kubrickian moments of satire comes via position he defines for himself in relation to the film chronicles 60 years in the life of a a mildly unflattering allusion to Spartacus, the particular issues or events. Suleiman’s mute Palestinian family, the Suleimans, living in least Kubrickian of Kubrick films.) However, arrangements of time, space and sound refute . It begins before Elia is born, with the Suleiman’s eclectic, semi-surrealist aesthetic the absurd linguistic brutality of phrases like 1948 war that resulted in the creation of the is not simply a game of cinematic posturing “policy of ambiguity” and “present absentee”. state of Israel, and ends with Elia witnessing and allusions. His films are grounded in In this way, we could say that he reclaims the the death of his elderly mother. With wry personal experience and are politically and policy of ambiguity from its nightmarish state- humor, and an impressive lack of self-pity, historically rooted in ways that enable them sponsored form and returns it to its natural Suleiman depicts the quiet humiliations and to avoid becoming too precious or indulgently and productive domain – that of the artist frustrations of living as a secondary citizen hermetic – a risk that other contemporary undermining the oppressive realities imposed in one’s own country. Suleiman by ideological forces. is not a psychologically oriented The first half of the title, The filmmaker, and he constructs Time That Remains, seems to his portrait of the family and of hover between two conflicting Nazareth visually and aurally interpretations – is it a rallying rather than through conventional call or a lamentation? But in exchanges of dialogue. His Suleiman’s hands, perhaps characters are rarely shown these are not mutually exclusive. speaking, never in the case of Although his deft use of cinematic the Elia character. Since this space is the most immediately is perfectly in keeping with striking feature of his style, Suleiman’s aesthetic, underlining duration is perhaps an even more the implications of the characters crucial element of Suleiman’s muteness with “present absentee” cinema. His many single-shot might seem unnecessary or forced. tableaus frequently heighten But the phrase is not Suleiman’s invention; filmmakers working with modes of surrealism our awareness of time passing, while his like “policy of ambiguity”, “present absentee” are not always able to avoid (Roy Andersson, comedic sensibility constantly reminds us is official Israeli terminology – a category David Lynch, Guy Maddin, etc). Suleiman’s of the extent to which successful comedic for Palestinians who fled or were expelled use of surrealism returns to the movement’s timing comes from the literal mastery of time. from their homes during the 1948 creation of historically grounded, politically charged Indeed, few filmmakers so enthusiastically Israel, but who remained within its borders foundations (the contemporary surrealist exploit the elasticity of time with such grace thereafter. This fact, which is almost never closest to Suleiman in approach is probably and poise. The Time That Remains could be noted in reviews of the film, is indicative of an the Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer). taken as an open question referring to our important aspect of Suleiman’s method – the Suleiman resists being pinned down politically relationship to this elasticity, which is the extent to which his distinct aesthetic, for all as much as he does stylistically. Though source of everything comic as well as tragic for its absurd humor and surrealism, is rooted in, generally praised by critics, Suleiman has been Suleiman: time, which is always vanishing and and is an extension of, a lived reality. labeled by some as a blatant propagandist yet stretches on endlessly; which prolongs all Building on the style developed in Suleiman’s for the Palestinian cause, while from the suffering even as it provides the only vehicle previous two features, The Time That Remains other side he has been criticized for playing for hope; which undermines the meaning plays out largely as a series of carefully to the apolitical tastes of international art- we construct and yet provides the only form composed deadpan tableaus, usually revolving cinema audiences, and for a lack of clear that meaning can take. For Suleiman, in our around a gag of some sort (the most audacious political commitment. Partisan complaints relationship to time we are all inevitably features a young Palestinian man pacing in of this sort are probably unavoidable, and present absentees, and we must come to terms front of his house talking about dance music while neither charge is exactly meritless, with this if we want to accomplish anything. on his cell phone while the gun barrel of an both misunderstand Suleiman’s approach. The time that remains is up to us, up to a Israeli tank parked a few feet away moves He paints with a wide brush, and this applies certain point, and then it’s not. If Suleiman with him, tracking his every move). These to the Palestinian characters as much as has a political message, it is a two-sided one, are often hilarious, sometimes terrifying, the Israeli ones. He doesn’t demonize the which comes with a characteristically grave and frequently tinged with melancholy, Israelis that he shows (mostly soldiers, wink: he exalts the liberating multitude of anger, warmth, bitterness and nostalgia politicians and police), though it’s true that possibilities that reside within the elasticity (the range of emotions and tones Suleiman they are often portrayed as slightly boorish of time, while warning us that time is all we achieves is remarkable). Though Suleiman’s and buffoonish (as authority figures are have, and that it won’t last forever. rigorous aesthetic appears fairly simple, he in Chaplin). The Palestinian characters -Mike Vass touches on a surprisingly diverse range of (mostly the Suleiman family) are more stoic