Love, Theft and Other Entanglements

It almost sounds like a Coen Brothers movie set in the Middle East. The Palestinian car thief Mousa tries to amass as much money as possible to leave the country, but gets into hot water when he steals the wrong car. When he discovers a kidnapped Israeli soldier in the trunk, the apolitical Mousa ends up in complex negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli factions. And as if this weren’t enough, he has an affair with a married woman to boot.
The awkward and slightly absurdist humour, the underexposed black-and- white images and the elegant jazzy soundtrack make the narrative style reminiscent of that of films like Frances Ha, Oh Boy and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Combined with the daily life in Palestine and subtle echoes of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Muayad Alayan’s debut is evidence of a hopeful voice and budding talent in Palestinian cinema.