Bilal's reaction


When the Al Bezaaz family found out what had happened, Bilal was unnaturally quick to reject Yacine. True emotional ties shouldn't be so tenuous.

The situation would be difficult for any combination of family, but especially in this situation due to the political status. Still I can't imagine a brother being so quick to be alienated from someone he was once so close to. It would be understandable if there had always been some kind of sibling rivalry or tension, but not in this case.

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[deleted]

It could be a reflection of the significance of the tensions between the two people groups in the film (the true depth of which is at times lost on or at least rendered a lot more hypothetical to us as Westerners).

Imagine a close, close married couple, the SECOND infidelity is discovered. It would most probably cause an immediate negative reaction, not DESPITE the former closeness, but BECAUSE of the former closeness, and the sense of betrayal and vulnerability felt at the moment of the revelation which affects that closeness.



'Then' and 'than' are completely different words and have completely different meanings.

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I also was upset by Bilal's angry response. However, I thought he was speaking out of fear. Oftentimes men especially young men, act out in anger when they're afraid because anger makes them feel stronger when they're truly frightened. Poor Bilal was so confused and frightened because his world had just imploded. He reacted like a child-man.

I also thought it was interesting that the fathers, both strong men, had to leave the doctor's office, and it was the mothers that stayed and did what needed to be done.

And of course the little girls, the daughters, went off and played together because they were children and hadn't yet learned to hate.

That was my take on it. I thought it was an excellent film, one that will stay with me for a long time.

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Bilal had already lost a younger brother before (I think his name was Firaz, he was the youngest brother and he died, but I don't remember if they mentioned how). With the revelation of Yacine's real origins, Bilal felt he was losing grasp on his own world, and he was very afraid that he was going to "lose" a brother again (their relationship might falter when Yacine explores his other roots).

Later, Bilal turns around when he bonds with Joseph and he realizes that he actually gained a new brother from this situation. (Notice that Joseph looks similar to the portrait picture of Firaz.)

______
Joe Satriani - "Always With Me, Always With You"
http://youtu.be/VI57QHL6ge0

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This is exactly what Golda Meir said: The peace will come when Arabs will love their children more than they hate Jews. Replace "children" with "brothers", and here's your explanation

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