A World Divided by Walls, Life Under Occupation: Understanding Palestine Today

This film is a coming-of-age story and a romance. It is a tale of passion about a young man living in a divided world who goes to meet the woman he loves, even climbing over the wall. It's a young love story, akin to a Palestinian Romeo and Juliet. Yet, one aspect is truly shocking: while the narrative is fictional, the depicted environment powerfully conveys, 'This is the reality of Palestine.'



In 2014, Palestine experienced repeated cycles of ceasefire and conflict, including guerrilla warfare and airstrikes. These tragedies, which involved numerous civilians, resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinian citizens. However, simply listing numbers does not resonate with people's hearts. This film, with its all-Arab Palestinian crew and filming entirely within Palestine, 100% produced with Palestinian capital, visually communicates the reality that numbers alone cannot capture, through the nuances of its drama.

The protagonist is an ordinary baker. At first glance, the film might seem like a straightforward romance. However, as the story unfolds, one begins to question why the protagonist cannot simply visit his lover without climbing walls, why climbing the wall leads to arrest, and fundamentally, why the wall even exists. When friends gather, they practice shooting and ambushes. When pursued by police, the protagonist flees into a stranger's house, where the residents calmly guide him to a back exit as if it were routine. This illustrates the reality of Palestine, where human rights are suppressed and freedom is nonexistent under the prolonged rule of an unwanted government. This profound background reveals that the film is more than just a love story. It's why Nadia's smile, portrayed by Reem Khoury, feels so precious.



The director is Hany Abu-Assad, who helmed 'Paradise Now' in 2005, a film depicting young men on the verge of suicide attacks, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Abu-Assad himself states, 'This is a film about love trapped under occupation and facing harsh circumstances.'

A Lifetime in Captivity or a Life as a Traitor—A Young Man's Desperate Choice

Omar, a thoughtful and earnest baker, navigates his life by climbing the separation wall to reach his lover Nadia, who lives on the other side, all while dodging bullets from watchtowers. In Palestine, under prolonged occupation, its citizens lack freedom. Omar rises up with his friends to change this reality, but he is captured on suspicion of killing an occupying soldier. Faced with torture by the secret police, he must choose between a lifetime in prison or betraying his friends to become a spy...



Omar
Opening Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Kadokawa Cinema Shinjuku, Shibuya Uplink, and other theaters nationwide.
Director, Screenplay, Producer | Hany Abu-Assad
Starring | Adam Bakri, Waleed Zuaiter, Reem Khoury, and others
Distribution & Promotion | Uplink
2013 / Palestine / 97 min / Original Title: 'OMAR'
http://www.uplink.co.jp/omar/