Sand Storm

2016 | Israel | NR | 87 min.

Showings

State Theatre Thu, Jul 28, 2016 3:30 PM
Milliken at the Dennos Museum Sat, Jul 30, 2016 9:00 PM
Film Info
Section:Foreign Official Selection: Narrative
Release Year:2016
Runtime:87 min.
Premiere Status:Michigan Premiere
Rating:NR
Production Country:Israel
France
Original Language:Arabic
Subtitles:English
Cast/Crew Info
Cast:Lamis Ammar
Ruba Blal
Hitham Omari
Khadija Al Akel
Jalal Masrwa
Director:Elite Zexer
Produced by:Haim Mecklberg
Estee Yacov-Mecklberg
Screenwriter:Elite Zexer
Cinematography:Shai Peleg
Editing By:Ronit Porat

Description

Men are not permitted at the Bedouin ceremony that opens “Sand Storm,” welcoming (with varying levels of enthusiasm) the arrival of a second wife. The older women, including first wife Jalila, wear fake mustaches, symbols of both strength and vulnerability. Jalila is the caged-tiger energy center of this emotionally intelligent first feature from Jewish Israeli Elite Zexer; she glowers and smolders and paces magnificently, delivering tongue-lashings not just about the younger newcomer, but also about the newly discovered secret lover of her daughter, Layla. Suliman, the story’s husband and father, has given his eldest child many modern advantages—a cell phone, driving lessons, an education—but he still seems willing to sacrifice Layla’s promising future to an arranged marriage with a village man she barely knows. Much more than a familiar feminist story about a teenage girl trapped between her deep attachment to a traditional family and a desire for love and freedom, “Sand Storm” is one of our top picks at the festival. In Person: Director Elite Zexer.