Kino immer anders
The Time That Remains is Elia Suleiman’s semi-autobiographical story of a Palestinian family living in Nazareth. The film stems from the writings of his father, who joined the Palestinian resistance in 1948, and the letters of his mother addressed to their family members scattered in the Arab diaspora, while also featuring Suleiman’s own memories. 1948, 1970, 1980, today: four eras in a family saga living in a state of siege. It is a very intimate drama that opens up to the world, showing once again how the everyday life of a family makes history. All the more so that of a family, of a population, suddenly a foreigner in its own land.
The essence of frank partisanship envelopes this courageous film. The less-visible, day-to-day and continuous provocations of the Jewish state that wear down Palestinian families and individuals are highlighted which in history often are left in the shadow of the greater crimes. Through bitter, razor-sharp humour and with an eye for the comedy of Jacques Tati, Suleiman directs a seminal film. Above all, he finds a fund of rationality in a continuous succession of irrationalities, so much so that the subtle comedy becomes satire to the extent that it does not require much dialogue or acting. Sometimes it is enough to observe, as the story (and history) is clear and expressive as it is.
Federico Schembri
Content notes: war
Introduction shorts: We will start the screening with The place that is ours from Zena Agha, 2021 (13 min)
