Review of The Time That Remains (2009) by Sébastien F — 14 Oct 2009

Hmm, the history of the state of Israel as seen through the eyes of a Palestinian family. That sounds a bit "worthy". So you might think but it's anything but. Whilst it might be an autobiographical film, dedicated to his parents, Suleiman's film is less about dogmatic politics but more about the surreal relationship that's endured between Israel and Palestine for the last sixty years.

Suleiman plays a loose version of himself; a Tati-esque observer of all around him, who never speaks a word. The absurd humour set pieces, including a tank cannon following an oblivious Palestinian on his mobile phone to each precise moment, a drunk, suicidal neighbour using extreme logic to solve the crisis and doctors and Palestinian civilians fighting over a hospital trolley go way beyond anything even Beckett could dream up.

At the same time though, there's a real emotional undercurrent, especially in the tender scenes of the deaths of his parents. It's a Kusturica-esque account of serious political history but undertaken in such a distinctive, imaginative way.