An analysis of the portrayal of Palestinian identity in two chosen films by Elia Suleiman Claire Begbie

In my paper I look at how Palestinian identity is portrayed in film by focussing on Elia Suleiman’s work. Suleiman is a Palestinian film director from the predominantly Arab-Israeli city of (Palestinian until the creation of Israel in 1948).

Before analysing his two films Divine Intervention (2002) and (2009), I try to particularise, but also critically challenge, the contested genre of Palestinian cinema. Does Palestinian cinema exist, and if so, what are its characteristics and parameters? Can a film shot abroad or foreign- funded be considered Palestinian? Is Palestine-related content enough to make it part of a national culture?

I briefly outline recent developments in Palestinian cinema, arguing that there are recurring concerns within this growing body of work.

The two films I chose are unique and striking in that they offer a more experimental and abstract insight into the daily lives of Palestinians. A series of banal scenes illustrate the impalpable and often ridiculous realities that average Palestinians experience under occupation. In Divine Intervention for example, the geographic division created by the Green line is symbolically erased when a blindfolded Palestinian points a tourist towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in – ironically in the presence of Israeli police, who are unable to do so. Such tragicomic banalities illustrate the reclamation of the land lost through Israeli occupation. Elsewhere throwing an apricot pit out of a car towards an Israeli tank results in the latter exploding – a rather exaggerated cinematic dramatization of Palestinian frustration and resistance.

Suleiman makes use of black humour, which some critics have found inappropriate. For my part, I emphasize the thought-provoking depth behind this humour. The abstract scenes question the status quo perhaps more effectively than descriptive and shocking documentaries about injustices in Palestine do.