Rating: 3.5/5
Anti-Criterion Challenge 2024 | 44/52 | Arab Film & Media Institute’s Cinema of Palestine
We open on an Orthodox procession downstairs to a door on which the leading priest knocks. A voice on the other side refuses to open the door. So, the priest goes to the side door, kicks it down, and, we assume, beats the guy up.
Elia Suleiman sits outside a house at night, smoking a cigarette. Smash cut to daytime, where he waters a small tree in his home. Outside, Elia hears the church bells ding, so he pushes the minute hand of his grandfather clock 15 minutes ahead to be in sync. While drinking espresso outside, he sees a man in his lemon tree stealing lemons. The man assures Elia that he is not stealing because he intended to ask permission, but Elia doesn’t answer the door.
Smash cut to him walking up the street. He hears shuffling and sees a group of men running toward him. But as Elia turns, the men slow their run to a walk to avoid suspicion. He turns around again, and they run past him, dispersing.
The film continues in these little vignettes. Eventually, Elia takes a plane to Paris and then to New York City. Strange experiences seem to follow him wherever he goes. Tanks roam the streets, police harass people, and everyone totes a gun.
The quiet absurdity of the style reminds me of Roy Andersson, but it is not quite as melancholic or grotesque. I thought I knew where several scenes were going, but they took an uncertain turn.
I believe I watched something brilliant, but I would be lying if I said I understood the movie in total. I can’t say if every scene has some political undertone—some scenes felt absurd for their own sake—but the commentary is unambiguous in places.
Even if I walked away understanding nothing about what the movie was saying, it was still a weird and hilarious experience.