SELF-MADE
Israel, 2014, 89 minutes, Colour.
Sarah Adler, Samira Saraya.
Directed by Shira Geffen.
Self Made is a brief Israeli film focusing on two women. It is an art house, arty film, not for multiplex audience – which may limit its potential for some kind of mutual understanding between Israel and Palestine.
One of the women is a celebrity, an artists about to exhibit at the Venice Biennale, art work, installations, and talk about childbirth, not wanting children, and the removal of the uterus and its being stained to form a handbag. She has amnesia, orders a bed from a furniture company, their delivering it, trying to put together, thinking she has lost a screw, a man coming to cook crabs and playing the violin to soften them, some interviews, her visit to the installation and her reaction to a woman taking a selfie.
On the other hand, the Palestinian woman is mentally limited, works in the furniture factory, putting screws in bags, is sacked because of the Israeli woman’s complaint. A co-worker has a sexual encounter with her, but at home, she seems to be being groomed to be a suicide bomber and is being sent to Kuwait. She snatches a baby at security and is interned, changing places with the Israeli woman who goes to her house and is set up for the bombing while she goes to the Israeli house, is bewildered, hides in a truck and drives off to…
While quite well acted, and intriguing, for some the film may be too absurd, for others it may be illuminating, if not politically, at least for the mental and emotional states of women.
1. A perspective on Israel, on the occupied territories?
2. A perspective on women, a woman from each of the locations, similarities, differences, interchange?
3. A film with aspects of the absurd? Audiences accepting the characters, their behaviour, the difficulties, the exchange, living each other’s lives?
4. The Israeli story, the woman falling out of bed, her bruises, the reaction of her husband, his leaving, his IT job, going to Sweden, success, staying, the Skype discussions? His computer, the woman googling for the furniture company, and ordering the bed, not knowing its specifications, seeing the pornography, and the conversation with her husband appearing in the middle of the pornography? Her bewilderment, not remembering the trip, not able to work the coffee machine? Carrying the bed? The arrival of the new bed, trying to put it together, thinking the screw was missing, the phone call, her complaints, her demands, the reaction, the delivery of all the complimentary gifts including the playpen, the extra screw in the box? The photographer, her art work? The man coming to cook the crabs, her not remembering, the crabs in the bath, his playing the violin to soften them? The analogy of lifelessness within, life on the surface? The Germans coming to the interview, her being out of it, the questions, especially about speaking Arabic, about removing her uterus? Seeing the screw? Going to the exhibition, her work, avant-garde, installation, the interviews on the screens? The comments about her work, exhibition? The issue of children, the removal of the uterus, the visuals of it being coloured – and the comment that it be made a handbag? The lecture on her work, listening, the woman accosting her, wanting a selfie, taking the phone and flushing it? In the toilet, the guards breaking down the door? Her wandering against the wall with sunflowers? Her being taken by the Israeli guards, put in the compound with the Palestinian woman? The changing clothes? Her going to the house, the discussions about suicide bombing, her being dressed with the bombs? her wandering out?
5. The Palestinian story, the woman’s home, her mother, the friend, wanting a child, putting the balloon as if she was pregnant? Dropping the screws on the way to work? Her work, the packets of screws? The co-worker and his attention? Finding her way back with the screws? The complaint by the Israeli woman, her being sacked? The sexual encounter with the man, saying he said these things to all the women, his saying he meant his love for her? The plan for the suicide bombing, her being sent to Kuwait, at the airport, picking up the child, being chased, taken by the women and the security check? Put in the compound? The change of clothes, lack of a veil, the authorities thinking she was a celebrity, taking her to the house, her just following the leads, the people coming in for the furniture, her hiding in the truck, being taken in the truck, getting out and wandering?
6. The security guards, the young women, their attitude towards the Palestinians, suspecting bombs, iPads and earphones? The girl searching the Palestinian woman, talking on the phone, her birthday, coming to the concert with her boyfriend, asked to stay, her callous attitudes and the final talk?
7. The portrait of the women, the strange situations, the interchange – contributing to mutual understanding between Israel and Palestine (or not)?
