Je danserai si je veux

Got into a cinema not expecting much, but I was rewarded with refreshing story I think many can correlate in some way, disregarding the context of where the story is taking part.

It shows us three girls and their current life stories, focuses on contrast between traditional and religious on one side, and liberal on other. We follow them through Tel Aviv's nightlife where they enjoy being free, escaping their daily lives, but we also see them in front of their religious and conservative families, partners and friends. It realistically portraits a life of urban 20-somethings and their life choices and plans. It had moments where the whole cinema was laughing, and the ones when you could hear laugh from some, like-minded to the lifestyle portrayed in the scenes. But, I think everyone got disturbed by some scenes and were made to question how selfish can we be about our life choices and how much should we impose them on others.

Girls bring out the weight of their situations to the viewers throughout the film. Soundtrack is fitting greatly, giving life to scenes, but remaining an independent weaver.

Film is not exaggerating in any way, and it tastefully makes us conclude we all need to share more empathy and understanding.

This Israeli production about Palestinian roommates in Tel Aviv presents a rich and moving array of the quandaries faced by young women on the uneven ground between traditional values and self-determination in a modern, urban landscape.

Leila, a young lawyer, and Salma, who begins the story as a sous chef and then takes a job as a bartender but also moonlights as a rave DJ, are modern young party girls who drink, smoke cigarettes, and do occasional pot and coke when their male friends are offering. Into their apartment moves Noor, an ostensibly traditional Muslim girl who never appears in public without a hijab, and is affianced to an activist who works in an NGO devoted to helping Muslims get by. He's not happy that she's studying computer science at university, and hopes she'll stay at home to raise their children eventually.

All three women collide with their culture's - and especially families' - traditional expectations. Salma's parents introduce her to various unappealing bachelors; Leila meets and dates a filmmaker who has studied and worked in New York but turns out to have some sticking points about her choices. Noor hits the hardest wall, but the way her initially unsympathetic roommates come together for her is beautiful and very satisfying.

Although this story centers on young women, and most of the men are forgettable at best or unpleasant (save for a queen-y gay friend of Leila's and, surprisingly, Noor's father, in a pivotal scene late in the movie), I wouldn't call it a "chick movie." It's well written and acted, and I found it not a great stretch to recognize that some men and families oppress young women in the U.S. in ways that are not so different, even today.

"In Between" is a lovely and solid piece of work.

...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.

The Israeli film Bar Bahar was shown in the US with the title "In Between" (2016). It was written and directed by Maysaloun Hamoud.

Three Palestinian women live in an apartment in Tel Aviv. Two of them (Leila Bakhr and Salma) have more or less abandoned traditional values. They drink, smoke, attend raves, and do coke. We assume that their love lives also don't correspond to traditional values, although that is implied, not stated.

The third woman is Noor, who is striving to maintain tradition. Noor is engaged to be married to a man who grudgingly accepts that fact that she is a computer scientist, but would much rather she stay at home once they are married. Not a good sign. The plot revolves around all three of the women, but especially Noor.

Three exceptional actors portray the women. Mouna Hawa plays Leila Bakhr, Sana Jammelieh is Salma, and Shaden Kanboura plays Noor. All three women are strong actors, but I was especially impressed by Shaden Kanboura.

I have to admit that, although I'm hardly a traditionalist, I wish that women who want to cast off tradition could find less toxic ways of demonstrating their independence. (One of my friends says that this is the point--if you want to cast off tradition, you cast it off and take any path you like, including toxic paths.) I see his point, but smoking will still take ten years off their non-traditional lives.

We saw this film at the beautiful JCC Hart Theater as part of the Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. This is always an excellent festival, but it has been even better this year. The festival is almost over as I write this review. We've seen eight films of the ten we plan to see, and I've given every one of the eight an IMDb rating of 9 or 10. If you live in Upstate New York, get on the RIJFF mailing list, because some of the movies will be re-shown later in the year. Also, if you love movies, plan to attend the RIJFF in 2018.

This film is carrying a strong IMDb rating of 7.5. That's good, but I think it's even better than that. If it's available for the small screen, see it that way. It's an exceptional film.

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.