Divine Intervention

• 6.5 Drama
• 2002-04-11
• 92 minutes mins

Santa Claus tries to outrun a gang of knife-wielding youth. It's one of several vignettes of Palestinian life in Israel - in a neighborhood in Nazareth and at Al-Ram checkpoint in East Jerusalem. Most of the stories are droll, some absurd, one is mythic and fanciful; few words are spoken. A man who goes through his mail methodically each morning has a heart attack. His son visits him in the hospital. The son regularly meets a woman at Al-Ram; they sit in a car, hands caressing. Once, she defies Israeli guards at the checkpoint; later, ninja-like, she takes on soldiers at a target range. A red balloon floats free overhead. Neighbors toss garbage over walls. Life goes on until it doesn't.

Starring:

Elia Suleiman (E.S.) Nayef Fahoum Daher (Father) Manal Khader (The Woman) George Ibrahim (Santa Claus) Jamel Daher (Jamal) Amer Daher (Auni) Lutuf Nouasser (Neighbor with American van) Riad Masarweh (Abu Basil) Bassem Loulou (Abu Amer) Salwa Nakkara (Adla)

Director:

Elia Suleiman

Writer:

Elia Suleiman