Laila in Haifa

Like Amos Gitai's previous films "Ana Arabia" and "A Tramway in Jerusalem," this film also gives one character after another the chance to declaim a story or tell what's on their mind. This time the characters form quite a web of interrelationships and their speeches touch on the Arab-Israeli conflict and on the nature of life in general. In fact, this is the only film I've seen in which the issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict is raised only to be overshadowed by grander issues. Not all the dialogue is exactly unpretentious and natural-sounding; and likely that was a priority lower than making philosophical statements-- and visual statements. Gitai knows architecture, and he seems delighted with the opportunity to film in a densely decorated bar that boasts a railed mezzanine and is flanked by railroad tracks.