The long-time conflict between Israel and Palestine is enormously complex and heated, especially today. Circling the issues and the hostilities are every level of discussion, debate, rhetoric, and deadly violence.

Out of this maelstrom, the Palestinian film, "Divine Intervention," by Elia Suleiman, has quietly made its way into and around the world. It is a film that is hard to characterize, at once commentary and comedy, narrative and abstract, understated and over-the-top. Admittedly, it will not be to everyone's taste. But for my two cents, it is one of the most provocative, sophisticated, and intelligent films made in recent years.

Writer-director Suleiman also plays the lead role in the film. His 'E.S.' is a somewhat autobiographical character in the midst of turmoil: his father is ailing, his movie project is going nowhere, and his love interest (Manal Khader) is distant on several levels. He lives in Nazareth, she in Ramallah, and much of their relationship, such as it is, is played out within a stone's throw of the Israeli checkpoint at the border between these two towns. The local residents are both very real and totally absurd, and much of the film's mordant wit seeps through their simultaneously ridiculous and poignant daily interactions. There are petty feuds - dumping garbage into one another's yards - and small acts of resistance - surreptitiously blocking access roads. While there are narrative elements, it would be hard to say what exactly this film chronicles. Instead, it is a collection of moments and moods, born of an untenably complex situation.

The film premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and has gone on to collect accolades at other film festivals. After some well-publicized controversy last year - it was banned from Academy Award consideration because Palestine was deemed not a country per se - it is was in the pool for a nomination as Best Foreign Feature this year.

"Divine Intervention" is decidedly on the 'art film' end of the cinematic spectrum: the pacing is deliberate, the action is minimal, and the themes can be obscure. But if you are interested in the artistic and rare, if you welcome being challenged to think and feel, then I strongly recommend the stunning achievement that is "Divine Intervention."

Lance Cromwell lives in Falmouth with his family and is, among other things, a writer, a filmmaker, and an ardent cinephile.

2004 MJFF Program Book edited by Abby Zimet