Farha (2021)

Farha (2021)

TV-14

netflix

A brutal coming-of-age film set at the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Very Best

8.0

Movie

Jordan, Sweden
Arabic, English, Hebrew
Drama, History, War
2021
DARIN J. SALLAM, FEMALE DIRECTOR
Ali Soliman, Ashraf Barhom
92 min

What it's about

Palestine, 1948. After the withdrawal of the British occupiers, tensions rise between Arabs and Jews. Meanwhile, Farha, the smart daughter of the mayor of a small village, unaware of the coming tragedy, dreams of going to study in the big city.

The take

Based on a true story, Darin J. Sallam’s controversial debut feature Farha is, at heart, a brutal coming-of-age film. Set in 1948, the film is about a girl who gets locked into her family’s storeroom at the start of the Nakba, the Palestinian Catastrophe. Sallam’s choice to limit most of the film’s perspective to that small storeroom is brilliant – in some ways, it echoes the surrounding discussion about the conflict. Most of what the world knows of Palestine is limited due to having to deal with censorship, lost records, and only hearing word-of-mouth stories from ancestors who just barely survived. But what we see is already too horrific to begin with. And what the film knows is the tragedy of losing your home - having to leave childhood, leave your dreams, and leave a vibrant and living culture in order to survive.

Comments

Add a comment

What did you think? Who should watch it?

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Smoke (1995)

A gorgeous indie gem whose every note is worth inhaling

8.7

All or Nothing (2002)

Mike Leigh goes all-in with this devastating drama

8.1

Atlantics (2019)

A poetic drama from Senegal

7.0

Vagabond (1985)

In a series of flashbacks, this drama traces the final steps of a transient woman on her uncharted journey across the French countryside to her lonely end

7.9

Shiva Baby (2021)

Sharp and anxious, modern and socially claustrophobic, Shiva Baby is a gem

8.6

Wadjda (2012)

7.0

Papicha (2019)

With fashion as their defiance, Papicha boldly unveils the resilience of women against the backdrop of an oppressive society

8.3

Dheepan (2015)

7.6

The Visitor (2007)

8.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2023 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.