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‘200 Meters’ A tale of Palestinian struggle
By Israa Radaydeh, Jordan News
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AMMAN — In his first film, “200 Meters”, Palestinian director Ameen Nayfeh tells the story of a Palestinian who lives on one side of the Israeli wall, separated from his wife and children.اضافة اعلان
The film, which premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in September 2020, has clinched a total of 26 Arab and international awards.
(Photos: Imdb)
The daily life of a Palestinian facing the apartheid wall
From his terrace, Mustafa, the main character, contemplates the view ahead of him: a garden in the foreground, then a wall, and on the other side of the wall, the neighboring village.
The wall was built in 2002, and it encroaches into the West, cutting Palestinian rural people from their land. The construction of the wall was deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in The Hague and condemned in 2003 by the United Nations General Assembly by 144 votes to four.
At nightfall, Mustafa and his children talk over phone and wish each other good night by switching the lights on and off. To get to the other side of the wall, he needs a valid work permit and magnetic card.
So, what does he do when he learns that his son Majd has been hit by a vehicle?
A road movie in Palestine
The film covers the journey undertaken by Mustafa as he ventures into the other side to see his injured son. It broadens its scope by introducing new characters, traveling with Mustafa in his vehicle that crosses the arid landscapes of Palestine.
Throughout the film, which took seven years to develop, Nayfeh flaunts his screenwriting skills and expert directing. Without pressing heavily, he shows us what it is like to pass through a checkpoint as a Palestinian.
A small, openly political film, 200 Meters, in the manner of Balkan comedies, finds the metaphor of evil in the wounds of a given land.
(Photos: Imdb)
Metaphor
Geometry teaches that the fastest way to join two points is to draw a straight line. Life and history, however, have always had other rules and different plans, and straight lines can break.
In the West Bank, on either side of the apartheid wall, it so happens that those two houses are separated, only united by light — not by the mutual love of the people who live there or politics.
The metaphor is obvious, illustrating tensions between two nations sharing the same territory, and the Palestinians are forced to live out of reality. This is the very heart of the story, which does not dwell as much on the complex relationship between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
(Photos: Imdb)
And Ameen Nayfeh does not invent much. Some Palestinians do attempt to cross the separation barrier illegally, with the Jewish state’s military administration issuing official permits sparingly.
200 Meters comes in handy to give us examples of the struggles Palestinians face on a daily basis. While it is very difficult to make films in Palestine, this first feature film by a young Palestinian director, inspired by his own experience, combines a documentary interest with a good dose of suspense and sober and efficient staging.
Read more Trending news
The film, which premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in September 2020, has clinched a total of 26 Arab and international awards.
(Photos: Imdb)
The daily life of a Palestinian facing the apartheid wall
From his terrace, Mustafa, the main character, contemplates the view ahead of him: a garden in the foreground, then a wall, and on the other side of the wall, the neighboring village.
The wall was built in 2002, and it encroaches into the West, cutting Palestinian rural people from their land. The construction of the wall was deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in The Hague and condemned in 2003 by the United Nations General Assembly by 144 votes to four.
At nightfall, Mustafa and his children talk over phone and wish each other good night by switching the lights on and off. To get to the other side of the wall, he needs a valid work permit and magnetic card.
So, what does he do when he learns that his son Majd has been hit by a vehicle?
A road movie in Palestine
The film covers the journey undertaken by Mustafa as he ventures into the other side to see his injured son. It broadens its scope by introducing new characters, traveling with Mustafa in his vehicle that crosses the arid landscapes of Palestine.
Throughout the film, which took seven years to develop, Nayfeh flaunts his screenwriting skills and expert directing. Without pressing heavily, he shows us what it is like to pass through a checkpoint as a Palestinian.
A small, openly political film, 200 Meters, in the manner of Balkan comedies, finds the metaphor of evil in the wounds of a given land.
(Photos: Imdb)
Metaphor
Geometry teaches that the fastest way to join two points is to draw a straight line. Life and history, however, have always had other rules and different plans, and straight lines can break.
In the West Bank, on either side of the apartheid wall, it so happens that those two houses are separated, only united by light — not by the mutual love of the people who live there or politics.
The metaphor is obvious, illustrating tensions between two nations sharing the same territory, and the Palestinians are forced to live out of reality. This is the very heart of the story, which does not dwell as much on the complex relationship between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
(Photos: Imdb)
And Ameen Nayfeh does not invent much. Some Palestinians do attempt to cross the separation barrier illegally, with the Jewish state’s military administration issuing official permits sparingly.
200 Meters comes in handy to give us examples of the struggles Palestinians face on a daily basis. While it is very difficult to make films in Palestine, this first feature film by a young Palestinian director, inspired by his own experience, combines a documentary interest with a good dose of suspense and sober and efficient staging.
Read more Trending news
