Chronicle of a present absentee

This is a highly political film of the very best sort: it can be watched with most of the politics being ignored yet everything about it is political, not least in the subtitle 'chronicle of a present absentee'. The director Elia Suleiman explains (in interview as part of the dvd's extras) that this is a legal and political term in Israel and relates to the houses and land confiscated by the Israelis from those Palestinians that either fled or were displaced post-1948.

The film shows that after the director's father, Fuad, was severly beaten by the Israelis for making guns to arms the Palestinians in their fight in Nazareth, he became a 'present absentee' in his life. Adopting a resigned and sometimes stubborn patience in the face of continued aggression against those Palestinians that remained in Nazareth.

All of this is depicted with beauty of photography and careful detail to each frame. Shots linger on people and images for a long time with little dialogue spoken. I know not why but the visual style of the film reminded me of You, the Living; such a different film and yet this one evoked the other.

Why problem make? When you no problem have, you don't want to make ...