'Villa Touma' will spark conversation
This sometimes-uplifting, sometimes-grim film has a pedigree as interesting as its story line.
The story of “Villa Touma” is simple: An unwanted teenage niece causes an upheaval when she arrives to stay in the home of three unmarried Christian sisters who live in Ramallah, a city on the West Bank. The story is set during the early days of Israeli occupation.
Don’t be fooled: Although this may sound like a lighthearted fish-out-of-water story, it is far from that kind of formula picture with its dark political and social themes.
The film itself was registered for competition in the Venice Film Festival as Palestinian, but most of the financing for the movie came from public Israeli funds, including the Israel Film Fund, the Economy Ministry’s Small Business Administration and Mifal Hapayis, the National Lottery. Additionally, some of the film was funded with German money.
There’s a lot more to the production of the film, so I recommend doing a Web search for Suha Arraf, the director, if you want to know more about the politically charged controversy around the movie’s backing.
The film itself is tense, as is the atmosphere in the home it depicts. Badia (Maria Zreik), who has arrived from an orphanage because she is too old to remain there, is clearly unwelcome in the home of her aunts, who generally have isolated themselves from the world at large.
The aunts, who are ruled by the oldest of the three, immediately look down their noses at Badia, whether it’s for the way she eats at the dinner table to the clothing she wears. Embarrassed by her very presence, the aunts plot to marry off Badia as soon as possible, so they begin to attend church services, weddings and funerals in order to make connections that might result in a marriage.
Meanwhile, the aunts constantly ridicule Badia, who tries to please them as much as she can. She does receive some covert sympathy from one of the aunts, who pities the girl. Eventually, the reason the aunts scorn her so much is revealed.
Manners, hierarchy and shame based on the past are evident in every scene, as well as the fact the world has changed and left the sisters behind. They often communicate with simple glances and harsh tones while clinging to a social status that is barely recognized by anyone outside their family.
One touching scene that will remain with me for a long time takes place in a cemetery. But another scene — a quiet sequence at the end of the film — remains open to interpretation.
The plot, and the story behind the plot, are catalysts for controversy and conversation.
Source: qctimes.com