So, you are a Jewish-American filmmaker looking to address the volatile Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a way that would appeal to both sides. Seem impossible? For Director Ari Sandel, the solution was clear: Produce a comedy that pokes fun at both sides even-handily, find a common interest between the two and throw in some musical numbers.
The result is West Bank Story, the most talked about and successful short film of the year, which won the Oscar for best short feature at the last Academy Awards.
Sandel’s film is basically a spoof of West Side Story, the 1961 musical classic, which was itself an adaptation of Shakespeare s Romeo & Juliet. Set in the West Bank, the film tells the story of two star-crossed lovers: Fatima, a Palestinian cashier and David, an Israeli soldier.
The pair exchange their first glances at a checkpoint as Fatima s brother Ahmed and his cohorts prepare to set up a falafel stand called Humus. Humus biggest rival and only competitor is Kosher King, an Israeli fast-food restaurant owned by David s buddy Ariel, which happens to be situated right across the street from Humus.
After several attempts from both sides to sabotage the other s business, the enmity escalates when Kosher King s new pastry machine juts into the Humus property. As a consequence, the Humus staff damage the machine and the Israeli side respond by building a large wall to block their foe.
The film is 20 minutes of outlandish, screw-ball comedy that borrows extensively from the parodies of Mel Brooks and the madcap works of The Marx Brothers.
Despite the serious and heavy subject matter at the heart of the film, Sandel manages to create a lighthearted, optimistic atmosphere, stemming from his genuine belief that peace between the two is not a far-fetched dream.
The highlights of the low-budget film are countless. It starts with a dancing, thumb-clicking Ahmed leading his gang, à la West Side Story, and then stopping abruptly to smoke a water-wipe. We are quickly introduced to a number of oddball characters from both camps: a tap-dancing rabbi, a gay Palestinian chef, an iceberg Russian chain-smoking cashier and a hippie Arab cook.
The dishes featured on the Palestinian menu consist of the popular Settlement Must be Crushed Kebab and Death by Suicide Bomber Chocolate Cake, among others.
Although the romance between David and Fatima is subtle and deep, it is still portrayed in a light way. David asks to meet Fatima under her balcony at night, saying that he wants to to annoy your parents and neighbors by singing you a really overdramatic song about feelings and love.
The dance numbers are quite impressive, lampooning the landmark West Side sequences as well as introducing original choreography. Yuval Ron s score is brilliant, combining Palestinian-style rhythms with the Jewish Klezmer sounds and a touch of Broadway tunes.
West Bank Story is a surprisingly balanced film. It avoids passing judgment by matching every joke about one side with an equally comical gag about the other. For every Hamas joke there is another that mocks the Israeli s construction skills, for example. Moreover, the costumes on both sides are equally funny.
Some may say the film is simplistic, but the movie is supposed to be a simple comedy. It does not attempt to comment on the current situation, explore the long history or justify any of their actions.
Sandel manages to depict both sides as misguided, ordinary humans with kind hearts and good intentions. He ridicules the entire conflict using the same stereotypes that continue to sustain it. More importantly, he does not rule out the possibility of a truce.
The falafel comes to symbolize a kind of common ground, revealing the basic similarities between the opposing sides.
The majority of Egyptian critics would probably hate West Bank Story merely for portraying the Palestinians and Israeli in the same manner. Some may even go as far as describing it as Zionist propaganda to urge the world to coerce Palestinians to compromise. It is also unlikely for the film to change anyone with solid, pre-held attitudes towards the conflict. However, the younger generation might be able to embrace Sandel s compassion and view the conflict in a different light.
If in the end it does not work out, David seems to know a place where the conflict will cease to exist. A place where all the Jews and Muslims live in harmony, he says. A Place called . Beverley Hills!
