14 Friday, December 30, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
`Hamsin' Film Wins Prize for Israel
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World Zionist Press Service
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The seemingly eternal
problem of Jewish-Arab re-
lationships in Israel is sens-
titively portrayed in the Is-
raeli movie "Hamsin,"
which recently won second
prize at the international
film festival in tocarno.
Directed by Israeli film-
maker Danny Wachsman,
the movie describes the
sharp increase of tension
between Jews and Arabs in
a northern Israeli village,
primarily over the old prob-
lem of land.
"Hamsin" refers not only
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to the quick, hot wind,
which is characteristic of
the Middle East, but also to
the parallel waves of heated
aggression which break out
dramatically between the
two peoples.
Wachsman described
the movie as "an attempt
to document my fears
about what is happening
in this country, especially
in recent years. The
growing violence, the
tendency to see Arab citi-
zens as second class, the
reluctance of many Is-
raelis — even the so-
called liberals — to relate
to the problem. Most just
cut themselves off from
the question, closing
their eyes to what goes on
in the kitchens_and bars
along Dizengofr (where
cheap Arab labor is
widely exploited).
In a recent interview in a
Tel Aviv cafe, Wachsman
reminisced about the origi-
nal Zionist dream, of build-
ing a unique society. Yet
now he feels that Israel is
too much like any other
country. He said: "Today,
we wake from the dream —
the film ("Hamsin") is a
kind of waking." For him
the reality is "Jew and Arab
living in a circle of aggres-
sion" and it is this world
that he describes in his
sharp and relentless movie.
While the older genera-
tion of Arabs had been able
to live peacefully side by
side (and some even had a
special relationship) with
their Jewish neighbors, the
Arab youths in the un-
named northern Israeli vil-
lage are shown as striving
for a new-found national
identity.
Relations between the
two groups (Jews and
Arabs) break down over the
subject of land ownership
and• this is clearly
exemplified in the severed
ties between the Birmann
family (Jewish) and the
Abass family (Arab), who
had formerly been on good
terms.
The movie projects a
realistic picture of the
lovely physical land-
scape as the background
of the fictitious yet au-
thentic plot of the movie.
Arab resentment for the
way the Jews covet land
which was in Arab hands
is treated sympatheti-
cally in the film. Indeed,
the Jewish farmers are
often portrayed as insen-
sitive to the Arab's di-
lemmas.
Set against this appar-
ently peaceful landscape,
tempers flare after talk of
(state) confiscation of the
Arab lands, and Jewish
farmer Gedalia Birmann's
subsequent offer to buy
them.
Birmann seems to be
motivated by one thing
only: his ambition to build
up the family farm. He has
been helped in this task by a
young hired Arab worker,
Halled. At first, the two
men are shown working and
living closely together.
Wachsman emphasizes
their closeness in a scene
when they wash together
under the same water hose
after a day's work. At this
point, they are bound to-
gether by shared aims and
experiences.
The quiet, hard-working
and loyal Halled eventually
becomes romantically in-
volved with Hava (Bir-
mann's sister) who has just
returned to the village from
Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Arab
family succumbs to ex-
ternal pressure not to sell
the lands (in spite of the
threat of state confisca-
tion). When Birmann's
deal on these lands falls
through, and he becomes
aware of the bond be-
tween Hava and Halled,
the whole situation be-
comes intolerable. The
culmination comes in
Halled's death at the
hands of Birmann in a
scene of unforgettable
power. During his whole
time, Halled had strug-
gled to remain loyal to
Birmann and to Hava as
well as to his Arab
friends, who are strain-
ing towards indepen-
dence.
This violent, well-made
movie so critical of Israeli
society, was well received in
Israel. Many creative ar-
tists in Israel are critical of
present trends in their
society and the country's
democratic make-up and
traditions enable them to
express their reservations
freely. However, while the
landscape and the political
background are carefully
evoked on the screen, the
individual characters, al-
though described in minute
detail, remain somewhat
flat.
The gripping plot, tense
confrontations, dramatic
music (composed by Raviv
Gazit), good acting and
photography make "Ham-
sin" one of the finest recent
movies — on an uncomfort-
able, difficult subject — to
be made in Israel.
the
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