Mon fils

Actually that is not true, but it does have a premise that is easy to relate to and if you have the quality writing engage the viewer to be interested in the story. And this has the quality to pull it off. It's not an easy movie to watch, though that doesn't mean, we don't get lighter scenes too.

Of course the conflict is there and the characters have to deal with a history, that is so complex that one movie alone could not do justice to it all. You have to really engage this open minded and not blinded by one side and see one side as bad or worse than the other. This is a human story after all and it plays out like that. You really feel for the main characters and their struggle, something the movie is really adamant on showing the viewer ...

In the 80's, the Palestinian Eyad Barhum is a smart boy that lives with his father, his mother, his two brothers and his grandmother in a small village. His father works picking fruits despite had going to the college because he was a terrorist when he was young. Eyad (Tawfeek Barhom) is accepted by the best high school in Jerusalem and leaves his family to stay in the boarding school. He befriends his Jewish roommate Yonatan Avrahami (Michael Moshonov), who has a degenerative muscular disease, and his Jewish schoolmate Naomi (Danielle Kitsis). Soon Eyad and Naomi fall in love with each other, but they date in secret since Palestinian are not accepted by the Jewish in general. When Naomi's mother learns that she is dating an Arab boy, she takes her daughter out of the school. However, Eya quits school to let his beloved girlfriend continue studying while he studies in homeschooling. When his father learns that he left the prestigious school, he kicks Eyad out of home. Now Eyad needs to find a job, but Arabs can only wash dishes and do not work as waiter, He decides to borrow Yonatan's identity to find a better job, while his friend is languishing at home, and lives with Yonatan and his mother Edna (Yaël Abecassis), who loves Eyad like a son. Soon he must take an ultimate decision to survive in Israel.

"Dancing Arabs" (2014) is a movie with a beautiful story of love, friendship and hatred in a country divided by the hatred of two people. The plot is engaging and heartbreaking in many moments. The cast has magnificent performance and the chemistry between Danielle Kitsis and Tawfeek Barhom is amazing. Danielle Kitsis is one of the most beautiful actresses that I have ever seen, but unfortunately there is only a few information about her in Internet. Her son is also a beautiful child. The friendship of Edna, Yonatan and Eyad is also very beautiful and a hope that one day in the future these two people can forget hatred and live in peace. I sadly learned through this film that Arabs do not speak the "p" and Israeli Arabs are treated like second class citizens in Israel. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Os Árabes Também Dançam" ("The Arabs Also Damce")

"Of course, I'm aware of the animosities destroying brain cells on both sides, and I know all about the obstinacy of the warring parties, their refusal to reach an agreement, their devotion to their own murderous hatred…." Yasmina Khadra, The Attack

Identity is indeed the heart of A Borrowed Identity about Palestinian boy, Ayed (Tawfeek Barhom), sent to a premiere boarding school in Jerusalem, but beset by prejudice against him and decisions about which culture he should embrace. This informative film is a crash course in cultural clash with enough character and interpersonal drama to satisfy the most discerning cinephile. Those who found The Attack an unforgettable interpretation of the conflict will have a similar reaction to this film.

From the early '80's nothing is going right for Palestinians: Israel dominates the split of the region while Hamas begins to retaliate. Meanwhile Ayed has the misfortune to fall in love with a Jew, Naomi (Daniel Kitsis), whose love will drive some of his basic decisions, like staying at the boarding school, and therefore his life.

The charm of this film is that it does not take sides, just empathizes with the protagonist, whose love is not only natural but also an emblem of the absurdity of cultural wars when one considers that it's really about people, whose loves cannot be controlled, and shouldn't be. Her mother would rather Naomi be "a lesbian, a drug addict, or has cancer" than be in love with an Arab.

The more time director Eran Riklis lets us spend with these Romeo- and-Juliet lovers, the more we are convinced the Arab-Israeli conflict is an absurdity born of historical hatreds that really shouldn't apply in the modern World. The tragedy is that Ayed must deal with the debilitating prejudice daily and make decisions on it rather than his natural love and brilliance.

But that conflict is what makes A Borrowed Identity such a watchable drama that gives more insight into that region of the world than all the Wikipedia articles touching on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Israeli film "Dancing Arabs" was shown in the U.S. as "A Borrowed Identity." It was directed by Eran Riklis. The movie stars Tawfeek Barhom as Eyad, a Palestinian boy who is an Israeli citizen. Although his plight isn't as bad as a non-Israeli Palestinian, he is nonetheless a second-class citizen. (Palestinian citizens work in restaurants as dishwashers. Jewish citizens work as waiters.)

Despite being Palestinian, Eyad is allowed to attend a prestigious Israeli boarding school. Naturally, he's the target of racial slurs, but he isn't physically injured, and he moves forward toward adulthood. As part of a class assignment, he meets Jonathan (Michael Moshonov), a young man who has progressive muscular dystrophy. He also meets an Israeli girl, Naomi, played by Daniel (Danielle) Kitsis. Naomi is intelligent and loving, but the question is whether their relationship has a future, because of their cultural and religious differences.

The plot moves in unexpected directions, and the movie is emotionally powerful and gripping. The acting is excellent, and I think the plot represents a balanced picture of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as it plays out among individuals.

We saw this movie at the Little Theatre in Rochester, as part of the highly successful Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. The film will work well on the small screen.

The film started off innocently, much like Eyad / Iyad is at the beginning. It's sweet, funny and almost carefree and gets serious overtime as Eyad grows up and tries to understand and fit into this adult world. Dancing Arabs' comedic tone reflects Eyad's childhood innonce, the tension and drama later on in the movie attests of this young arab's struggles to find his place and his identity around jews in Israel.

Eran Riklis succeeded in capturing Iyad's evolution in My son, coherently interlacing different tones and getting a good performance out of Razi Gabareen & Tawfeek Barhom who both embody Eyad's life. Years of Eyad's life are smartly intertwined with the tensions in the region and Eyad's choices. Although Riklis, very skillfully took on a difficult subject and managed to make a movie advocating coexistence, My Son felt at times a bit too sugar coated. There's no denying that it is about Eyad and his journey to self discovery but some of the characters - although secondary - completely lacked substence or development. The mothers for instance, both brilliantly played by Abecassis & Eido kind of lacked personality. The Arab-Israeli tensions are in the film but they are addressed very subtle, hinted.

The cast nicely played the bonds and chemistry between the characters. Tawfeek Barhom, awkwardness and isolation in his new surroundings is on point. He is utterly believable and convincing as the good- intentioned young arab who wants to fit in. My Son is a beautiful, funny film shining a good light on both population.

@wornoutspines