The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (2018)

Directed by: Muayad Alayan | 127 minutes | drama | Actors: Maisa Abd Elhadi, Mohammad Eid, Kamel El Basha, Ishai Golan, Bashar Hassuneh, Hanan Hillo, Amer Khalil, Sivane Kretchner, Jan Kühne, Adeeb Safadi, Riyad Sliman, Rebecca Esmeralda Telhami, Mohammad Titi

What could be more beautiful than forbidden love? Where would we be without Romeo and Juliette, Tony and Maria, Ronja the Robber’s Daughter and Birk? To that series we can now also add the names of Sarah and Saleem, main characters from the Palestinian film ‘The Reports on Sarah and Saleem’. Sarah is Jewish, Saleem Palestinian, Sarah has a bar, Saleem delivers the daily bread. Both are married, but that doesn’t stop a steamy relationship.

A secret love between a Jewess and a Palestinian is not a casual undertaking, certainly not in the Jerusalem powder keg. It only takes a minor incident to turn things around, as happens here when Saleem gets involved in a bar fight. Once on the cutting edge, early love becomes a matter that everyone will get involved in. The family of Saleem’s pregnant wife, Sarah’s husband (a senior military officer), the Israeli security service, Palestinian insurgents and whoever isn’t.

In terms of structure and complexity, ‘The Reports on Sarah and Saleem’ is reminiscent of the work of Iranian grandmaster Asgar Farhadi (‘A Separation’, ‘Le Passé’). Here, too, we see how individuals are crushed by the colluding – and sometimes opposing – forces of family, society and government. Every step in the process seems inevitable and leads to the destruction of an individual or relationship.

At Farhadi this often results in crackling dramas, here it crackles less. Due to a lack of sharp character drawing, the characters remain flat. It is then difficult to live with it. Moreover, it is difficult for an outsider to properly assess the impact of what is happening here. We understand that the loved ones are having a hard time, but exactly how difficult remains the question.

The acting is inconsistent and the dialogues are not always easy. On the other hand, the story is captivating on a rational level where the emotional impact is lacking. It is also striking how much the scenario focuses on details, so that the story is accurate to the millimeter. As a bonus, there is the special, indescribable atmosphere that always makes films from the Middle East so appealing. Attractive enough to watch this drama, although it could have been a better movie.