Farha

Farha

Farha (2021) The last time I felt such profound sadness and speechlessness after a film was when I watched Capernaum on the big screen. I wish this film played in the cinemas as well because these are the kinds of movies that need to be seen. In its short runtime, Farha packs a heavy amount of powerful and heart wrenching emotions that give an insight into the tragedy of Al Nakba that took place in Palestine in 1948. Here, we get to see a story of young girl and as shattering as it might look, it's important to remember that there were tens of thousands of similar and possibly more tragic stories all across the country. The tale begins with a pleasant portrayal of a small Palestinian village where we get to witness ordinary life of the villagers with their share of hardships and joys. Children are playing in the nature, people are getting married and a girl named Farha has big dreams of going to a city school to get a proper education. All of a sudden, the happiness and dreams are erased by bombs and gunfire while the smiles are replaced with screams, tears and terror. Farha's father hides her in a provisions closet with hopes of shielding her from the horror but eventually, the horror comes knocking at the door. Despite the harrowing history and nature of the events, the director masterfully sets up the scenes in a balance that allows the audience to make their own observations and pass their own judgements. The moive doesn't go overboard with violence and instead, creates impactful moments that will suck the life out of you. In between, there are periods of silence, darkness and suffocating claustrophobia that show so much that is unspoken while allowing the audience to catch a break and ponder the events. The acting from Karam, the girl that plays Farha, is great throughout the film as she is able to depict hope, despair, fear and the will to live. Artistically, there are multiple small elements like the use of lighting that provide an additional touch to this powerful film. When the end credits play, you wont be able to move because of the music and because of a piece of history that your have just witnessed.

I was expecting an all out film about war but was pleasantly surprised. The story based around a central character Farha. A typical teenager to start with who than has to survive an uncertain situation. Watching the film I could sense her desperation and frustration. It was well written and executed. As a viewer i felt everything from hope, sadness and relief for farha. The young actress did a brilliant job. One particular scene with a crying baby thats just out of reach was done well and very hard to forget. Overall it was captivating to watch such a life changing horrific event from the eyes of a young girl through a crack in an old door. Inspired by true events I feel the film was subtle yet still managed to capture the terrors of nakba.

Beautifully brutal gem of a film that manages to show the mass brutalization and genocide of a whole people through the haunting entrapment of a young girl in a cellar. The director uses her protagonist to embody the fate of a people and does so very effectively. The film's color palette, cinematography, symbolism and focus on story telling is masterful. Farha, meaning happiness in Arabic, manages to echo the continuing disaster of the Nakba and its effect on the Palestinian psyche. Her coming of age is the coming of age of every Palestinian as the trauma is repeated from parent to child. Painful to watch, but a must watch for all. A brilliant presentation of the ongoing trauma of the Nakba.

I knew the film would have violent scenes of brutality and killings, so I thought it would be difficult to watch. But the characters drew me in. I loved that each of the characters was flawed, which is often missing from depictions of true stories. Farha's stubborn nature kept her in her village as it was invaded and emptied of Palestinians. Her father was stuck in his traditional ways and believed too much in the empty promises of the Arab armies. The treasonous relative who "was trying to help." The cowardly soldier whose heart was too weak to kill the baby, so he left the baby to die. All together, it made the film feel like we had a lens into the past. Or like it was all still happening right now, in the same place, with the same people, 74 years later. I loved the filmmaker's dedication to the set, the costumes, and even the dialects. It truly paid homage to a people and their story, as they experienced it. And like all coming of age stories, the themes of rebellion and fear and angst were so relatable. But just as Farha's desire to learn and grow and be free filled you with hope she'd grow up to be an extraordinary woman, her story was just ordinary enough that it could speak to the experiences of 75% of the Palestinians alive during the events of 1948. I'm sure the woman farha's story is based off of is extraordinary nonetheless. It's a beautifully told story of unspeakable tragedy that is still unfolding today and whose victims still await justice. A must watch.

As someone whose knowledge of the Palestinian occupation was just limited to my college world history class, this movie brings adds a whole another layer to how I view the Nakba, the events of 1948, and the occupation that continues to this day. While not told through a historical perspective, Farha is told through the eyes of 14 year old child, thus, we the viewers, see the catastrophe unfold before us, through Farha. We follow her from a spirited, stubborn child, with a zeal for education, and breaking with tradition, to her being reduced to a shell of her former self by the end. This story is the tragedy of not just Farha, or her father, or her best friend, Farida, or the family including the baby that is brutally murdered. Rather it is the tragedy of generations upon generations of Palestinians. Of millions of Farhas who watch their dreams crumble right along her entire village into ashes. This is especially harrowing when you realize it is based on a true story.

Currently screening on Netflix, this low key but incredibly powerful film has clearly upset people who would prefer it if the truth was suppressed. I am aware of a smattering of negative "faux" reviews that always tend to appear when the voices of Palestinians manage to break through the dominant narrative. But it is important to actually review the film too so others can decide whether or not to watch it. I was totally struck by the quality of the acting. The young woman who plays the lead role spends much of the film without lines. She conveys her emotions through facial and physical expression and does so convincingly. There are some standout moments for me. Farha's father clearly recognises his daughter's potential and supports her educational aspirations. I love him for that. The scene in which a Palestinian woman whose house key is discovered during a search of her clothing is told she can keep it "as a souvenir"...spoiler alert....that is not the worst thing that happens to her. A huge amount of the film is shot in one intensely claustrophobic setting. It makes for uncomfortable viewing but don't let that put you off. It draws you in and enables you to engage with the story in a way that a text book can never achieve. The main character is forced to watch horrors unfolding outside the room in which she is trapped from a position of powerlessness. To me, it feels like a microcosm of the events (and aftermath) of the Nakba in which at significantly larger scale, many other Palestinians could only watch as evil acts took place, causing enduring pain and suffering that has transcended generations. The emotions experienced by Farha must have been similar to those of the inhabitants of Kafr Bir'im when (after a welcome Israeli high court ruling) they anticipated returning to the homes from which they had been evicted years before. But their hopes were literally bombed to smithereens when the Israeli airforce razed the village to the ground while the villagers watched from a neighbouring hill. How distressing must it be to witness something so barbaric and not be able to do anything to prevent it. Farha is an important film. It tells a story that others would prefer the world to forget. It blows a hole in the old myth of a land without people for a people without land. It is hardly surprising therefore that there is a concerted effort to denigrate this film in order to deny the reality of the Nakba through faux, negative reviews. Those people for whom Israel can do no wrong are going to hate it. It has already scooped several awards and must be a firm favourite to pick up an Oscar. And when it does....well we know what sort of backlash there will be. I encourage everyone to watch this film. Not just because of the story it tells but because it is brilliantly filmed and superbly acted. In short it is a brilliant move.

'Farha' (2021) is a visually stunning, historically accurate film set in 1948 that depicts a relatively small-scale tragedy that Palestinians refer to as the Nakba (Arabic for "catastrophe"). The film doesn't detail the politics behind the arrival of the Israel Defense Forces. It primarily unfolds in a storage room, offering glimpses of life through a crack in the wall. Sound is used effectively to give color, further cementing the trauma of the experience in an emotional roller coaster. The storytelling techniques do not fail to describe the world beyond the walls: strafed by bullets, torn apart by cries of distress, and marred by an airless, oppressive quality.

I am Jewish. I want to make this abundantly clear in my review. I am the Am Yisrael. I am supposed to hate this. But I cannot. This is an extremely difficult to watch movie. It's psychologically torturous. It is, genuinely, the hardest watch since I saw Stalker or Solaris, and people who watch Russian sci-fi know the extent of it. This communicated the message better than anything ever before. I feel like had I watched it as a Zionist, it would bring me to the point I am at right now regardless. The raw power, the naked truthfulness of the movie makes it an extremely valuable experience and motivates the watcher to take action against the Israeli oppression. I am deeply ashamed that my holy land is being claimed by an apartheid state.

Everything is impeccable. The direction is top notch, the cinematography mesmerizing, the editing crispy, engaging screenplay n terrific performances by all. The lead female actor gave a terrific performance but the best stuff is the direction. The director n this movie deserves more recognition worldwide. Hats off to the director for not trying to show unnecessary violent or brutal stuff. The camera does not linger any longer than is necessary on the horrific scenes. There is nothing cheap, mawkish or sensational. In fact it is much better than Adrien Brody's The Pianist. I hope it gets the recognition in the Oscars.