Omar

Developing the themes that he explored in 2005's Paradise Now, Hany Abu-Assad’s film is both a thriller and a telling portrayal of the way that the Israeli occupation of Palestine, or for that matter, any forced occupation, destroys lives.

The story revolves around three friends, Tarek (Eyad Hourani), Amjad (Samer Bisharat), and Omar (Adam Bakri) who, as did the two protagonists of Paradise Now, feel compelled to do something to free their country of the invaders.  A complicating factor is that Omar and Amjad are both in love with Tarek’s sister, Nadia (Leem Lubany).  After the three carry out a sniper attack on an Israeli military post, Omar is arrested, tortured and told his only hope of release is to collaborate and turn in Tarek who the Israelis believe was the killer.  He agrees to do so with no intention of keeping the bargain but when he is released he finds himself suspected of being a traitor by his friends and acquaintances, even by Nadia.

Omar works as a thriller, with a twisting plot and a tightly ratcheted  pace worthy of a Bourne film but is better than mere escapist entertainment because of the strong humanist concern with which the director invests the action. The pain felt by the three friends under the Israeli yoke is palpable whilst Omar’s love for Nadia and the destruction of their relationship which becomes collateral damage in the atmosphere of mistrust and deception created by the occupation, is tellingly realized.  Some may feel that the film is too one-sided, but while Abu-Assad makes no apologies for his sympathies, ultimately, tragedy has no favourites.

Available from: Madman

 

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