SYNOPSICS
Sufat Chol (2016) is a Arabic movie. Elite Zexer has directed this movie. Lamis Ammar,Ruba Blal,Hitham Omari,Khadija Al Akel are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2016. Sufat Chol (2016) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Desert noon in a Bedouin village in Southern Israel. Jalila is hosting an awkward celebration - the marriage of her husband to a second, much younger wife - while trying to conceal the insult that boils inside her. Her daughter Layla is preoccupied with a different matter. Her secret, strictly forbidden, love affair with Anuar was just unveiled by her mother. Jalila believes that the world is harsh and cruel, and the only way to win - is to keep your mouth shut, your head as high as possible without raising too much attention, and struggle from inside the limits of the traditional world surrounding you. Layla believes that there are no limits to the world surrounding her. Everything can be hers if she only wished hard enough. But, as the story unfolds, they each fail in her individual battle. Their whole family falls apart and everything they believe in shatters. Now, the two women are forced to understand that, if they wish to survive, they will have to start seeing the world from ...
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Sufat Chol (2016) Reviews
A story about women in a conservative Muslim society
I saw this movie after it has received the Ofir award for best movie- the Israeli Oscar, which will make it the Israeli submission for the foreign language Academy award. I think it is a good movie in its novelty. The movie depict Bedouin life in modern Israel, although there is no sign really that this is the country where this story takes place, as the language is only Arabic and only an Israeli plate on the father's car indicates that the country is Israel. Much is already known about the treatment of women in Arab society, but here the father seems to be progressive: he sends his daughter Layla to school, and even considers university...she drives and believes that her father is different than other Bedouin fathers. To her dismay she finds that he isn't. On one hand the movie deals with the issue of polygamy, but is actually deals with all the issues affecting women in Arab society: the power of a husband to ban his wife and send her to her parents, the position of the father of daughters in the Bedouin society, the "do" and "don't" when it comes to family life. The movie revolves around the "must" issues. The father feels that the society expects from him to behave in a certain way, where the women in his life expect him to be different. The father might be willing to allow his daughter to drive and to study, but this seems to be the limit of his openness to Western values, to the huge disappointment of Layla.
A must watch for film about female struggle in a man's world.
The film follows the struggle of a young Bedouin girl and her will to be free of old traditions that try to keep her caged in a man's world. The main plot follows Jalila (Ruba Blal-Asfour), the first wife of a man that is trapped under the pressure of having a new young wife join the clan. Her daughter, Layla (Lamis Ammar), has a secret lover at school, and Jalila must decide if she is part of the mechanism that will trap her daughter too or going to fight for the next generation to have more than she could ever dream of. The brave directing and storytelling brings to the screen a complex story, exhibiting female struggles from a very specific perspective yet in a very universal way. It is not by chance that the film has had such a successful festival circuit.
Amazing movie
I was vising my family in Israel and took advantage of the opportunity to watch this movie with friends. I prepared myself for a hard political movie, as some of the media said it was but found myself watching a beautiful non-political universal movie. Sure it is still a hard movie with an educational and sad message but it is a must see movie. We were 4 people and all of us were speechless in the end. Maybe as an Israeli with previous knowledge I had more insights and could understand this movie in several other levels but that doesn't mean that this is a great movie. Great job to all the cast and I hope it will succeed not only in the theaters across the world but may also be nominated for the Oscar this year. The cast and the story deserves it.
The Matrix, Bedouin Style
Sand Storm is about a patriarchal social system that hasn't budged much from the dark ages despite the evolution happening all around it, and despite the yearning for change from much of the population, especially the female population. The brilliance of this film, though, is that the filmmaker - Elite Zexer - never ultimately condemns any individuals in the film, demonstrating that the system has taken on a life of its own, and people are ultimately beyond judgment. As Morpheus said in The Matrix, "The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy." Yes, the father is railed against for his seeming inability to think for himself, but rather automatically doing what is expected of him. But he is also portrayed as a loving and reasonable man, and even as a progressive and independent thinker...just not when it comes to his daughter marrying whom she wants to. Yes, young love and young life is quashed by the actions of people - rigid tradition needs people to sustain it - and the anguish that ensues is heartbreaking. But is keeping with tradition the appropriate thing to do in the long run, in the big picture? Everyone - willingly or begrudgingly - seems to accept that it is. Or do they? And whether it is or isn't, what does it matter when there's no choice. Or is there? There is one telling scene between the father and mother, where - despite the tremendous friction between them throughout the film - they share an intimate moment. They share a cigarette, talk comfortingly to each other, and hug, acknowledging then and there that the system is bigger than both of them, and with their hug they silently agree that deferring to it is the only thing that can be done, like it or not. There is no choice. But this is not seen as a tragedy, necessarily. Their world is what it is, and one has to accept that. Or do they? Will the little girl who sees her beautiful, intelligent sister with her new schlemiel of an arranged husband accept that when she's of marrying age? Is she the future Bedouin Neo who will challenge the Matrix?
A perfect film
Sand Storm may not be a masterpiece of world cinema. Perhaps more distinctive art films claim their place on that stage. This movie takes a naturalistic approach to its story, depicting development in a straightforward way without auteur splashes. It offers a big dose of realism about a tough subject and tough circumstances. Perhaps that doesn't appeal to a more casual audience. But this is absolutely a perfect movie. How is it perfect? First of all, every moment, every scene, every line of dialogue propels the story forward in a meaningful, forceful, convincing, and deeply human way. Deeply human? Yes. The characters are thoroughly human and complex, fully imagined and developed, both in the writing and the excellent performances. The story itself is constructed in a highly economical, brilliant way. For example, the reversal in dynamism between 'stern mother' and 'indulgent father' is not only interesting in terms of development; those shifts are utterly convincing as they arise organically from dynamics internal to the story and to the (highly difficult) circumstances each character finds her or himself in. It's impressive to witness the artistry of these shifts, how well though out, convincing, and how inspired it all is. The major characters are all in deep conflict with each other, and enough is given to us to understand and sympathize with each of their positions. That's uncommon in stories, in any story, whether novels or movies. This is an admirable achievement. The climactic moment, the moment of momentous decision for the daughter Layla, this is fantastic: she drives the family truck as her means of breaking away from her father's demands, but it is precisely in driving this truck where we first saw how her father fostered her independence and self-sufficiency in ways unseemly for a young woman in their village society. The 'vehicle' by which he helped give her independence of spirit is the very vehicle by which she flees his (or his society's) oppression. Wow. While it's not showy, it's a deeply inspired film, full of artistry and moving, human meaning.