At The Movies

Family Reunion

In 'Another Road Home," daughter of Israeli writer makes film that is personal, political.

TOM TUGEND

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

W

often painful, exploration of relation-
ships within and between the Israeli
and Palestinian families.
The same or other viewers have felt
uncomfortable or outraged by the
implicit ideological message that in the
Mideast conflict, the Israelis are the
oppressors and the Palestinians are the
victims.
Elon makes no secret that her sympa-
thies lie with the "vic-
tims," but she denies
that she has made a
propaganda movie.
"This is a very per-
sonal film," she said in
a phone interview. "I
set out to make a peo-
ple film, not a political
film for leftists."

hen Danae Elon, daughter of
famed Israeli journalist and
author Amos Elon, was 6
months old, a Palestinian Muslim
knocked on the door of her home in
eastern Jerusalem and asked for a job.
He was hired on the spot. For the
next 20 years,
Musa
illaNIMplirl'
Obeidallah was
Danae Elon's
nanny, caretak-
er, confidant
and second
father.
Eventually,
the girl went
into the army
and then
Open Affection
became a docu-
Though Obeidallah's
mentary film-
home in the village of
maker in New
Battir is only a short
York.
drive from Jerusalem,
Obeidallah
Elon found it easier to
went back to
Danae Elon: A "personal" film.
track him down and
his village on
meet him in Paterson,
the West Bank,
N.J., where six of his sons — he is the
and the two lost track of each other.
father of 11 children — have settled
Three years ago, as the Palestinian
down and established families of their
intifada raged on, Elon began to look
own.
for Obeidallah.. She has documented
Most of the film's encounters take
the search and reunion in Another Road
place in Paterson, now home to some
Home. It is scheduled to open Friday,
30,000 Palestinians who have re-created
June 10, at the Landmark Maple Art
much of the sounds, smells, shops and
Theatre in Bloomfield Township. The
street life of their homeland.
film is difficult to categorize. Many
Paterson gained some notoriety after
viewers in Israel, America and elsewhere
Sept. 11, when the Palestinian commu-
have been touched by its intimate,

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nity was accused of
Jewish nationalism,
harboring terrorist
after the '67 war it
Mohammed Arta,
became a messianic
before he led the
religion," he com-
attack on the World
ments. "Now there
Trade Center in New
has been too much
York.
blood, too much
After Elon wins the
anger.
confidence of the six
For Danae Elon,
brothers and their
who acknowledged
families, the grand
Danae Elon and Musa Obeidallah the difficulties of
reunion is arranged.
growing up in the
reunited in New Jersey.
Obeidallah arrives in
shadow of a famous
Paterson from his West Bank village,
father, the second reunion is with her
and Elon's parents, Amos and Beth, fly
parents. Amos Elon, who advised his
in from Europe. The affection between
daughter against making the documen-
Danae Elon and Obeidallah is obvious,
tary, "is a very private person. That he
and the film is at its warmest when the
consented to go before the camera is
Arab, like a Jewish mother, worries
the greatest love he could show his
aloud that the 34-year-old Israeli
daughter," she said.
woman still is unmarried.
The film has been aired on Israeli tel-
But the conflict back home, like the
evision and found its warmest response
elephant in the living room, cannot be
among Palestinians and
ignored, and Obeidallah describes some
right-wing Israelis. The former
of his problems in a matter-of-fact man-
understandably like the sympathetic
ner.
portrayal of one of their own. The
Since he was not allowed to fly from
right-wingers, said the filmmaker,
Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, he had to
saw the movie as an expose of the
sneak around two roadblocks and into
hypocrisy of Israeli left-wingers, who
Jordan to fly to America. He worries
hold protest rallies for peace but send
that the Jewish state's West Bank securi- their sons and daughters to serve in
ty barrier will cut him off from his
elite army units." ID
fields and prevent him from visiting the
hospital in nearby Bethlehem.
The most searing indictments and
Another Road Home is scheduled
most profound pessimism comes from
to open Friday, June 10, at the
the writer Amos Elon, who has given
Landmark Maple Art Theatre in
up hope for a peaceful resolution of the
Bloomfield Township. Check
conflict and has moved with his New
your local movie listings.
York-born wife to a small Italian town.
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