''Divine Intervention'' () is a 2002 surreal

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film by

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

director

Elia Suleiman Elia Suleiman (, ; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor. He is best known for the 2002 film ''Divine Intervention'' (), a modern tragicomedy on living under occupation in Palestine which won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cann ...

. The film consists largely of a series of brief interconnected sketches, but for the most part records a day in the life of a Palestinian living in

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

, whose girlfriend lives several checkpoints away in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

city of

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

. One lyrical section features a sunglasses-clad Palestinian woman (played by Manal Khader) whose passing by not only distracts all eyes, but whose gaze causes Israeli military checkpoint towers to crumble. The director features prominently as the film's silent, expressionless protagonist in a performance that has been compared to the work of

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...

and

Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...

. The film is noted for its minimal use of dialogue, its slow pace and repetition in behavior by its characters.

Plot

''Divine Intervention'' while being a series of interconnected sketches, is a glimpse at life of Palestinians living under military occupation going in between the cities of Nazareth and Ramallah. E.S. lives in Nazareth while his father lives in Ramallah. The film begins by focusing on life in Ramallah with the Father for the first part of the film, bouncing between different stories of the neighbors within this area and the conflicts they undergo. Disputes between neighbors, Israeli police coming and going, the seizing of Palestinian owned things and places by the Israeli settlers, Palestinians interacting with/watching one another, etc. In the second part of the film, E.S.'s Father has fallen ill and is in the hospital, he must now enter Ramallah and visit his father. While going in between Nazareth and Ramallah, E.S. begins meeting with The Woman in their cars at the border checkpoint between the two cities. The couple's clandestine meetings continue to take place throughout the rest of the film. Through them, viewers observe the Israeli military guards at the checkpoint as they interact with the Palestinians who are crossing into Nazareth. The film is characterized by a lack of dialogue. The characters of the film are only able to observe the happenings of their everyday life without being able to interfere much as they are under military occupation and must adhere to it. Sketches: In Nazareth,

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

runs away from children as gifts fall from his basket. He's been stabbed and leans against the ruin of a Franciscan chapel atop Mount Fear. E.S.'s Father curses familiar faces as he drives through the streets. Neighbors bicker over small stuff. A Palestinian couple meets in a car at the border checkpoint between Ramallah and Nazareth. More bickering neighbors. A tourist asks an Israeli policeman for directions. Unable to help her himself, the policeman brings out a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner from the back of his van. The Palestinian tells her three different possible routes. The couple is in the car again. The man (E.S.) blows up a red balloon with the face of

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

drawn on it. He releases it near an Israeli checkpoint. An Israeli soldier is about to shoot it down but his comrade stops him. In the confusion, the couple are able to drive through the checkpoint together. The balloon floats across Jerusalem, eventually settling against the

Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock () is an Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem. It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the List_of_the_ol ...

. At night, the couple again in a car. The next morning, five Israeli men practice an elaborate sequence of dance-like moves. Armed with guns, they repeatedly fire at targets painted like a Palestinian woman under the direction of a choreographer-officer. When one of the targets fails to fall to the ground, a real Palestinian woman (dressed like the targets) appears. The officer instructs his men to fire at her. In a supernatural feat, she gathers their bullets in the air around her and rises from the ground. The bullets form a crown of thorns around her head until she lets them fall to the ground. She then uses crescent-adorned stars and rocks to kill all but the officer. A helicopter appears to reinforce the Israelis, which the woman also easily destroys throwing a sheld with the form of Palestine. The dance choreographer watches helplessly and the woman disappears. The film ends with E.S. and his mother watching their dinner cook in a pressure cooker.

Cast

as E.S. * Manal Khader as The Woman * Nayef Fahoum Daher as E.S.'s Father * Denis Sandler Sapoznikov as Israeli soldier on Palestinian-Israeli border * Menashe Noy as Soldier at Checkpoint.

Oscar controversy

Despite being nominated for the "

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

" award at the

2002 Cannes Film Festival The 55th Cannes Film Festival took place from 15 to 26 May 2002. American filmmaker David Lynch served as jury president for the main competition. Virginie Ledoyen hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski ...

, the film's consideration as candidate for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards was an occasion for considerable controversy. In late 2002, producer

Humbert Balsan Humbert Jean René Balsan (21 August 1954 – 10 February 2005) was a French film producer and chairman of the European Film Academy. He was known for securing financing and distribution for diverse and often challenging films. In February 2005, ...

authorized the US distributor of the film to release a statement which stated that Balsan had asked the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

if the film could run for best foreign language picture. According to Balsan, the answer was no, because "Palestine is not a state we recognize in our rules." However, spokesperson John Pavlik states that the Academy had never made a decision on that issue because Suleiman had never submitted his film. Critics like ''The Electronic Intifada'' and others, claim that the Academy did make a decision, and that it was based on political considerations. The film was considered for an Oscar the following year; Pavlik told ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' "The committee decided to treat Palestine as an exception in the same way we treat Hong Kong as an exception. It's always the goal of the foreign-language film award executive committee to be as inclusive as possible."

Music

Elia Suleiman has used entirely non-original music of various genres and artists in the film. These include artists such as the Belgian singer

Natacha Atlas Natacha Atlas (, , ; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern folk music). Her music has been influenced by ...

, Indian composer

A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema ...

, Lebanese electro-pop band Soapkills and Paris-based record producer

Mirwais Ahmadzaï Mirwais Ahmadzaï (born 23 October 1960), known mononymously as Mirwais, is a French electronic dance music record producer and songwriter, born in Lausanne, Switzerland to an Afghanistan, Afghan father and an Italians, Italian mother. A former ...

. Track listing: #"

I Put a Spell on You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins and co-written with Herb Slotkin. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins's greatest commercial success, reportedly su ...

" by

— 3:44 #"Ana Oual Azab" by

Mohammed Abdel Wahab Mohamed Abdel Wahab (), also transliterated ''Mehammad Abdelwehab'', (March 13, 1902 – May 4, 1991), was a prominent 20th-century Egyptian singer, actor, and composer. He is best known for his Romantic and Egyptian patriotic songs. He ...

— 9:01 #"Fingers" by Joi — 6:34 #"Easy Muffin" by

Amon Tobin Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin (; born February 7, 1972) is a Brazilian electronic musician, composer and producer. He is noted for his unusual methodology in sound design and music production. He has released eight major studio albums unde ...

— 5:03 #"Wala Ala Baloh" by

Amr Diab Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab (, ; born 11 October 1961) is an Egyptian singer, composer and actor. He has established himself as a globally acclaimed recording artist and author. He is a Guinness World Record holder, the best selling Middle ...

— 5:08 #"Les Kid Nappeurs Main Theme" by Marc Collin — 4:13 #"Tango El Amal" by Nour el Houda — 3:10 #" Mumbai Theme Tune" by

— 5:14 #"Definitive beat" by Mirwais — 3:58 #"Tango" by Soapkills — 3:19 #"Dub4me" by Soapkills — 3:03

Awards

The film screened at the

on May 12, was awarded the Jury Prize and the

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the worl ...

for "its sensitive, amusing and innovative vision of a complex and topical situation and the tragic consequences that result from it". ;Won * Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival * FIPRESCI Prize (competition) at the Cannes Film Festival * Special Jury Prize at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

* Screen International Award at the

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...

;Nominated * Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival * Best Non-American Film at the

Bodil Awards The Bodil Awards are the major Denmark, Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards ...

References

External links

* *
Village VoiceOffoffoff

Philadelphia City Paper
{{Palestinian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film 2002 films 2000s Arabic-language films 2002 comedy-drama films Palestinian drama films Israeli–Palestinian conflict films Films directed by Elia Suleiman European Film Awards winners (films) Cultural depictions of Yasser Arafat Cannes Jury Prize winners