Je danserai si je veux

...that's what jumped into my head as the ending credits rolled. Bar Behar / Lo Po Lo Sham packs a wallop: It's a powerful feminist film that shows us a little-known world: that of twenty-something Palestinians – from both the Palestinian Authority and inside Israel – who move to Tel Aviv to escape the confines of their conservative, patriarchal society.

Despite their differing backgrounds – one Christian, one secular Muslim, and one traditional Muslim – the three roommates stand by each other through their respective patriarchy-based crises with exquisite nurturing and tenderness. Must see.

In Between. A drama about three Palestinian housemates in Tel Aviv, Israel. Aptly named film as all three are to some degree caught between a liberal 'western' secular culture and their Muslim faith and associated family values. Laila is a chain smoking heavy drinking free spirit. When she falls for a pot smoking seemingly hedonistic guy, how will he expect her to behave when she meets his family? Salma's parents are trying tirelessly to find her a perfect husband. She rejects all would be suitors because she has not told her parents that she is a lesbian. Noor is from a very strict family and is already engaged to be married. But will living with these free spirits change something within her? A brave portrayal of oft-colliding cultures (the director has received death threats for apparently glorifying female emancipation). A powerful and original 8 out of ten.

I saw this film at the BFI on International Women's Day which was very appropriate. The film was a revelation. As an Israeli woman free to live my life as I please, I never gave a thought to the Israeli Arab women living in our midst who are increasingly integrating into the labour market though less visible in the social scene which is still largely segregated. The three women characters were believable, warm, expressing solidarity to each other despite their very different personalities and life styles. The theme of personal conflicts between tradition and modernity is not new. What makes this film different is that the issues are very real and current and those outside the tradition don't see it. All three actresses are very good, the script is believable and the direction flawless. Go and see it to get an insight into the lives of Israeli Arab women torn between tradition and personal freedom.

A study in tolerance and values as they clash - tradition vs. contemporary; old vs. new; parents vs. older children; male dominance vs. female independence. We see good/bad on both sides - rape, drugs (legal & illegal), abuse, lack of understanding. Families, men & women trying to find love & answers. Centered about a Palestinian community in Israeli Tel Aviv.

I don't know what "Bar Bahr" means in Arabic, but I liked the English title-- "In Between"-- less than the Hebrew, which is "Neither Here Nor There." The movie is about how its three heroines suffer from belonging neither to traditional Arab society nor to secular Westernized society. Any base that they may seem to have established for themselves "in between" seems to crumble beneath their feet.

Despite the serious predicament, though, the movie is also very much about sisters doing it for themselves. There's an automatic solidarity whereby women-- at least young women of similar ages-- are all automatically soulmates; and men, it almost goes without saying, are swine. (Well, the gay guy is of course okay and a bit amusing.) Despite those stereotypes, the movie holds interest by virtue of believable acting and believable situations. My wife says it's one of the best we've seen in recent years, and she had the chance to appreciate it a little better than I did not only because she's a woman but also because she understands Arabic somewhat. For those who don't understand Arabic, though, there's still the added benefit of a look into another culture. The Israeli press was particularly impressed that not only traditional Arabic life is glimpsed, but also the small, rarely-explored community of young Arabs in Tel Aviv. (Is it possible that they all really smoke that much?) We see a succession of situations that by no means always involve much action or even much tension, although a couple of crises do come up. Mostly the appeal of the movie is in allowing us to feel like a fly on the wall among interesting people facing interesting day-to-day challenges.