THE OTHER SON/ LE FILS DE L’AUTRE

France/Israel, 2012, 103 minutes, Colour.
Emmanuelle Devos, Pascal Elbe,
Directed by Lorraine Levy.

If you would like to see a film that tells an emotional story as it dramatizes the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis (and even if you wouldn’t), The Other Son can be recommended.

It may not be the most thoughtful film about the fears and hopes of Israel, about the occupation of Palestine and the political and philosophical/religious implications of the divide, but it shows us images that are definitely worth more than the traditional thousand words and invites us to identify with some Jewish and Palestinian men and women who live the tensions every day. And there is the ever-present wall.

The story has its harrowing moments. It is the story of babies mistakenly given to the wrong parents and the discovery of what happened only when the son of the Jewish family has blood tests before his military service and his blood type is incompatible with his parents. The error occurred during the Gulf War, in Haifa when scud missiles were hitting the city and the children moved for security.

In many ways, this is a familiar story of what happens to children when they discover their birth mother and how they will deal with the mother who brought them up and the newly-found birth mother. That is emotionally demanding in itself, the shock, the questions of identity, how to live with the two families.

What makes this film more demanding on the two sons, and on the parents, is that the Jewish boy has been brought up as an Arab, as a Muslim, and the Arab boy is profoundly Jewish. The Jewish son wants to be a musician, the Arab son has lived with his aunt in Paris and has passed his baccalaureate and will start medical studies.

As might be anticipated, this will be a story of coming to terms with family, ethnic roots and cultural background – and the realization that each young man should have been living the other’s life, in the comparative comfort of a Jewish family in Tel Aviv, or in the poverty and restrictions of a Palestinian village.

This inevitably makes the film somewhat schematic as each discovers the other’s life and lifestyle. The screenplay is also schematic as both fathers and both mothers are involved. Interestingly, it is the mothers who are most broad-minded and broad-feelinged. (The film has a female director.) Each father acts in the hard masculine way of wanting to avoid the issue, denying it, rationalizing it and only then, through personal contact and mutual understanding, come to terms with it.

Each family has a little girl. They are able to break through barriers almost instantly.

A complication comes in that the Arab family has a son who was killed in attacks. The older brother reacts instantly against the brother he has loved, all prejudice against Israel and its oppression surfacing virulently as he can see his brother now only as Jewish. On the other hand, the boy in the Jewish family goes to the Rabbi, since he is devout, only to find that with his mother not being Jewish, he is no longer Jewish and most go through conversions steps. Rigid ideologies can be unreasonable and damning.

The film has so much persuasive dialogue about relationships and human equality and dignity. Filmed on location on each side of the wall – which continually looms high and divisive, along with the humiliating checkpoints – the Arabs discover the affluence of Israel, amazed at people lolling on the Mediterranean beaches, the Jewish family seeing the instant poverty so close to where they live.

If only people could meet, share meals, sing, see others as human beings, then the conflict (with blame on both sides) might move closer to resolution.

1. An Israeli film, French Co-production? The perspectives? Pastime?

2. The division between Israel and Palestine, as visualised with the wall, conflict, deaths, contrasting ways of life, affluence, poverty? Atmosphere of animosity?

3. The locations, the city of Tel Aviv, comfortable, the beach and the beach-front, the world of young people, the military world, homes? Authentic? Israeli musical score?

4. The locations, Palestine, the fields, the sheep, poverty, the villagers, poor homes, children in the streets playing? Palestinian music?

5. The visuals of the wall, the division, the height, the roads past, the graffiti? The checkpoints, less than humane?

6. The plausibility of the plot, the two mothers being in Haifa, the Gulf War, the scud missiles, evacuating the hospital, the mix-up? 18 years later? The discovery because of the blood types in the military service check-up? Further DNA checks? Hospital data?

7. The Israeli family, the father strong, life in the military, his desk job, love for the family, for his son, getting in and of his military service, his daughter? His wife, her French background, a loving mother and wife, a pleasant personality, the meals, going to the movies every Tuesday, the music, joseph’s education, prospects?

8. The Palestinian family? The father, an engineer but unable to work as one, working as a mechanic? His musical background? His wife, managing the household? The dead son and the bitterness towards Israel? Billal, the older brother, love for Yacine, his resentment towards Israel? Deep resentment? Yacine, the opportunities, phone calls from Paris, living there, arrival home, his baccalaureate, the people welcoming him, planning to study medicine?

9. The doctor calling the meeting with the two sets of parents, the truth, explanations? The minute angry, silent, unable to accept the truth? The contrast with the mothers, the talking, holding hands, love for the children, the bonds? Thinking through the situation? Having to cope? The issue of when to tell the sons the truth?

10. Joseph, his age, his life, music, hopes, his friends, the meetings with them, conversations, going to the army, the examination, the tests? His father getting him out? The reaction of his friends? His own embarrassment? Overhearing the truth, his reaction, issue of identity, relating to his parents, Jewish identity, not liking the Palestinians? Going to the rabbi, his mother not being Jewish, his having to go through the phases of conversion, yet his being a good student at the synagogue?

11. Yacine, his arrival home, being told, Billal, his negative reaction, his sister, his parents and trying to cope?

12. The fact that each could have led the life of the other? Both considering this, commenting on it?

13. Yacine going through the wall, into Israel, his selling ice creams? Meeting Joseph, their talking, Yacine being outgoing, the bonding between the two young men?

14. The family visits, Billal refusing to go, two little girls making friends at once, the meal, the conversation, polite talk? The emotional impact?

15. Joseph and his decision to visit the family? Going through the checkpoint, the impact of the wall, the field with the sheep, his walking, the poverty, asking directions, the lady showing him, finding the house? The meal, the welcome, the food, the singing and everyone joining in? The mother and her phoning home to let his mother know where he was?

16. Joseph’s father, mellowing, getting the passes for Yacine’s father, discussions with him?

17. Joseph and Yacine at the beach, the dark, the attack, the bashing? Getting Joseph to hospital? Everybody with him? United?

18. Images of division, hostility, reconciliation, humanity?