Let it be morning

A small village in Israel is staged as a micro universe of the Arab population. Sami, who lives in Jerusalem, has a successful job at a tech company. One day he goes to the wedding of his brother, Aziz, in his small home village with his estranged wife. When he wants to return to Jerusalem at night, the road is blocked by Israeli soldiers, no one can go in or out of the village. A huge wall is built around the village to fend off illegal Palestinians from the West Bank: the entire population goes in lockdown.

He is part of the middle class now, which creates a barrier between himself and the rest of the villagers. Sami even hires underpaid illegal Palestinian workers to renovate a house in the village. In the end he will find that life as an Arab in Jerusalem is also very fragile, and that his bubble could pop at any moment, now that he is confronted with the inexorable Israeli soldiers again. He contacts an old friend and together they decide to rebel…

Let It Be Morning is based on the novel by Palestinian author Sayed Kashua and paints a harsh, satirical and sometimes comical picture of an Arab village. The director is very good at showing the claustrophobic atmosphere in the village, in contrast to the panoramic vast fields outside. The acting of the actors is phenomenal and the small absurd details in their behaviour softens the helpless situation they find themselves in.