First published by Sphinx Student News* on 28th September 2018 as part of their Arts and Culture section.
IN BETWEEN REVIEW - THREE WOMEN TAKE ON THE PALESTINIAN PATRIARCHY
Posted by Anna Scott | Sep 28, 2018 | Arts & Culture
Leaving the cinema my friend turned to me and said, “Isn’t it amazing to see a film almost entirely from the female perspective?” I, of course, agreed. She paused for a minute before musing, “why does it have to be so unusual?!”
It’s true. It is a real rarity to have multiple female protagonists. Scarcer still are those who are relatable; with real interests, careers and problems. Maysaloun Hamoud’s In Between not only passes the Bechdel Test so spectacularly that I can almost hear feminists around the world whooping with joy, but it also gives voice to a group of women who are rarely represented in film.
Set in Tel Aviv, Israel, In Between follows the lives of three, young, Palestinian women, each in their own way looking for independence. By night, Salma (Sana Jammalieh) is carving out a career as a DJ while by day she can be found working in kitchens or bars. Forced to hide more than just her tattoos from her parents, Salma begins a lesbian relationship with trainee doctor Dounia. This is a serious test of Salma’s relationship with her family.
Salma’s flatmate Laila (Malna Hawa) can match her shot for shot on their many nights out into the wild, underground party scene of Tel Aviv. Laila is a force to be reckoned with, shutting down bullshit with one casual flick of her sharp tongue. She balances a successful law career and a new romance with bohemian Ziad. But Laila struggles when Ziad, faced with his family, exposes that he is not as liberal as he would like her to believe.
When hijab-wearing Nour (Shaden Kanboura) arrives from the more conservative city of Umm al Fahm, her bookish ways and dedication to computer science clash with the hard partying lifestyle of her new flatmates. Engaged to devout Wissam, Nour must be strong against the cultural traditions of her family when she learns tragically that he is not all that he seems.
Credit: Film Movement/Yaniv Berman
While too often women are pitted against each other on screen, it was a delight to watch a strong friendship blossom between Nour and her new flatmates. Whether it be taking revenge or abandoning a date for sake of a drunken friend, it was evident how loyal these women were to each other.
In Between was beautifully made, allowing you into Tel Aviv as a silent bystander. The more distressing shots had a bare reality to them which left you simultaneously captivated and appalled. It was not only the filming that so instantly drew you into the world of In Between. Parts of the soundtrack were recorded by the Palestinian hip hop group DAM. The majority of their songs address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reflecting the film’s inherently political nature. In fact, Hamoud has received a strong backlash since the release of In Between. Ironically the home town of Nour, Umm al Fahm, banned women from watching the film, criticising Hamoud for corrupting girls with depictions of sex, drugs and her evaluation of Palestinian society.
In Between seems to me to have it all. It is funny and thought-provoking, full of both tragedy and feminist revenge. For a story of young women, caught in the middle of traditional values and the attitudes of the world, the title of this film could not be more accurate.
In Between is released by Peccadillo Pictures and is available on DVD and the BFI Player.
Featured image credit: Film Movement/Yaniv Berman
*Sphinx Student News is no longer a web domain. This is due to a merger all of student media societies at University of Liverpool to form Liverpool Guild Student Media. As existing articles were not transferred to the new platform, the original article is not available online. I am posting older articles on Written By Anna as a means of recording my past work.