[yasr_overall_rating]
Two siblings from Gaza form a band with the aim of changing the world, only for tragic events to drastically change the journey, yet achieve the same dream.
In this current age, where music is more manufactured than created and pop idols are churned out of reality shows at an alarming rate, it’s nice to come across a story that rejuvenates your faith in musical storytelling, putting to shame the current slew of cheesy popcorn driven musical features that have bombarded our screens over the last few years. From “Honey,” to “High Strung” (see my review here) to the mind numbingly tedious “High School Musical,” it’s been a Tsunami of “Glee”-style musical and dance numbers that rattle the senses but neglect to engage the audience in a decent story. “The Idol,” written and directed by Hany Abu-Asad (“Omar,” “Paradise Now”), is a charming story about 4 children, trying to piece together a band while struggling with their day to day lives in Gaza. The story focuses around two siblings, Nour (Hiba Atallah) and Muhammad (Qais Atallah), with Nour being the center of not only the band’s drive and determination but the story itself. Together with their friends Omar (Abd-Elkarim Abu-Barakeh) and Ashraf (Ahmad Qassim), the two siblings dream of greatness with Nour at the helm. Given her environment and the way women are marginalized in her society, Nour is a feisty young girl, without fear and a steely determination to succeed. However, as events unfold, Muhammad becomes the main focus of our attention as ultimately we follow him on his journey to becoming the next “Arab Idol.”
Two children dressed in vibrant t-shirts dart in and out of the Gaza streets, hopping from one tin roof to the next. Behind them a young boy frantically chases, side-stepping past people as he tries to keep up. The opening chase is shot beautifully, the bright colors of the market, trees and pedestrians giving the sandy dusty landscape bright dashes of color. As the chase comes to an end, and the two lose their tail, they dive into a nearby door to safety, slamming it shut. As they turn, relieved, their mother immediately scolds them for their behavior, telling Nour in particular, “if you weren’t so good at school I would break your legs.” We later learn that the two siblings, Nour and Muhammad, sing in a band, busking on the streets to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately for them, not everyone wants to listen and a bucket of cold water or two swiftly moves the rascals on their way. With their parents reluctance to help and general disapproval, the band pushes on with their ambitious plans.
As a band they are united. They catch and sell fish at the beach to make extra money, running down on foot people that steal or forget to pay. They have very little, working day and night while saving to afford instruments. When they finally have enough money, they attempt to acquire them through a very shady-looking character. Now at first thought this probably wasn’t their best idea, and naturally they get ripped off. Desperate, Muhammad goes back to get the money pleading “the money may not be much for you, but for us it is everything.” For his bravery he gets beaten up so bad he is hospitalized, lucky to be alive. After his release, one night Nour consoles him, telling him “don’t worry, we will get out of here one day.” Nour is the driving force of the two, dragging her cautious brother along whether he likes it or not. To emphasize this, Nour makes Muhammad chant “we’ll be big and change the world” over and over again. Clearly Nour has big ambitions and nothing is going to get in her way.
A montage of the kids performing shows their steady progression, they engage with a manger who mentors them polishing their appearance. Soon they are ready to perform, starting with the odd wedding they are soon in demand and their confidence grows. At one point their stage is pulled around the city by a tractor, the kids jamming away to passing pedestrians. Their parents are still against the idea, the possibility of family embarrassment still outweighing their pride for their children. Undeterred, they continue on with their plan until one evening Nour collapses during a performance. The doctor breaks the bad news, Nour has Kidney failure and will require dialysis treatment once a week, a treatment far too expensive for the family to afford. As her mother breaks down, Nour shows her steely character yet again, “Mum, you’re embarrassing me, I’m not dead yet.” Again her strength of character is a real driving force behind the feature, dismissing a romantic gesture from Omar one minute to declaring “I won’t let this disease stop me from playing,” the next. For such a young girl, her drive is infectious. Ultimately, Nour dies of her condition, leaving the young Muhammad distraught. Hiba Atallah put together a very mature performance for her age. The role she was required to play, with the range of feelings the character went through, must have been difficult to tackle. While there are moments you feel she lacks a certain maturity, her immaturity in this cause fits the tone of her character well. Hiba Atallah portrays Nour as a punchy, in-your-face, no-nonsense kid with a level of determination hard to find in most adults. Although the performances by Tawfeek Barhom and Qais Atallah are very good, the attitude and sassiness put into the character of Nour left more of an impression on me.
Here we transition to Muhammad as a man, he goes to sleep as a young distraught boy only to wake an angry moody adult (Tawfeek Barhom), driving taxis to get by. As we say goodbye to the young Muhammad, played by Qais Atallah, it is worth noting the performance the young boy has put in. Although out-shadowed by Hiba Atallah as Nour, his voice is so angelic it polishes off any imperfections in his acting. As the now fully grown Muhammad fails at a hilariously ill-planned attempt at Palestine Idol, he comes to the realization that he needs to go to Egypt. Inspired by a new love interest and the promise he made to Nour, he heads off across religious, political and physical divides to follow their dream of changing the world, to become an Idol.
After a more intense focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his Oscar-nominated thrillers “Paradise Now” (2005) and “Omar” (2013), director Hany Abu-Assad takes a different approach in “The Idol.” An individual forced into a position where his natural talent and ability can be used for political purposes, whether it be for good or bad is always a topic for debate. The people of Gaza want an Idol, someone to speak to the world on their behalf and in “The Idol,” Hany Abu-Asad gives the audience that in spades. Based on a story of true events, Hany Abu-Asad leaves you asking the question: can one man with the voice of an angel really help heal such deep demonic divides? You decide.
“The Idol” opens at the Angelika Film Centers in Dallas & Plano Friday, May 27th
