The affair of a married Palestinian man and a married Israeli woman in Jerusalem takes a dangerous political dimension when they are spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving them to deal with more than their broken marriages.
An affair between a Muslim Palestinian bread delivery man, Saleem (Adeeb Safadi), and a Jewish Israeli bakery owner named Sarah (Sivane Kretchner) turns into a serious catastrophe as Saleem is arrested and accused of recruiting Israeli spies.
Saleem’s life changes the night he decides to take Sarah along with him to a late delivery in Bethlehem. At a bar, a stranger gets too aggressive and Saleem starts a fight. The man threatens to report him, as Sarah has already exposed herself as a Jewish Israeli by forgetting to remove her religious necklace. The two continue their secret relationship and things take a turn for the worst when Saleem is detained at his home by police. The government officials have accused him of recruiting Israelis to spy and apparently they have been writing reports on this relationship with Sarah for months. The plot turns from an affair between two opposing religious groups to a serious public outrage.
Sarah’s husband David (Ishai Golan), who is an Army Colonel, is confronted about the case and eventually, he finds out his wife is involved. When both spouses discover the details of the affair they are both forced to make decisions that can never be erased.
I thought this film was great because it took me to a place I didn’t expect to go nor did I think I wanted to go until I got there. Surprisingly, it isn’t just another story about two people of opposing cultures crossing the line, it goes beyond the obvious and gives you much more. It is suspenseful, the cast did an exceptional job and the storyline was solid. I would love to have seen a stronger ending but overall, this is a really amazing film.
In select theaters Wednesday, June 12th
