"Omar" (2013 release from Palestine; 96 min.) brings the story of Omar and his friends Tarek and Amjad. As the movie opens, we see Omar climbing over the separation wall (diving Israel from the West bank) to see the girl of his dreams, Nadja. Tarek pushes Omar and Amjad to be more active in their fight against the Israelis, and at one point they shoot and kill an Israeli border guard, but it isn't long before Omar is apprehended by the Israeli police. Given the choice of being jailed for many years, or instead to be set free and lure Tarek into the hands of the Israelis, Omar chooses the latter. In a separate story line, we learn that Amjad also has his eyes on Nadja. Is Omar really going to snitch on his friends? Who will win Nadja's heart? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, when you get a Palestine movie in which there is conflict with the Israelis, you automatically expect that this will be a political movie. Yet it really isn't the case at all. Instead, this movie looks at the conflicts of being a reluctant informant, and the resulting mind games being played. Second, this is an equally compelling family drama, with two guys chasing the same girl, of course in the context of strict family traditions and even stricter religion. Third, The movie contains a number of great performances, including Adam Bakri in the title role and the beautiful Leem Lubany in the role of Nadja. Last but certainly not least, I never saw the end coming, and it frankly was a little bit of a shock.

This movie scored an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Movie, which will be decided tomorrow. The category is pretty stacked this year, and I doubt that "Omar" will win. That doesn't take anything away from this movie, though, which I found compelling from start to finish. I saw the movie last weekend at the West End Cinema in Washington DC, and the early matinée showing where I saw it, was reasonably well attended. This movie certainly deserves to be seen (as are all the other Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language Movie),be it in the theater or on DVD/Blu-ray. "Omar" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Omar is an Oscar-nominated film that was made in Israel and Palestinian territory by a filmmaker (Hany Abu-Assad) and actors who are apparently Israeli citizens but are ethnic Palestinians. It was mostly funded by folks in Palestinian territory. Not surprisingly, it takes a decidedly anti-Israel point of view—which is not surprising. However, the way the film worked out depressed me and wondered how the film was received in the West Bank and Gaza. I hope there were no standing ovations at the end.

The film is about a Palestinian guy (Omar, played by Adam Bakri) who, along with a couple friends, shoot an Israeli soldier. Oddly, the Israeli authorities seem to know almost instantly that Omar was involved and they arrest and torture him until he agrees to work for them covertly. However, once he's released, Omar doesn't do exactly what he agreed to do and begins work on additional terrorist activities. Soon, he's arrested again and this time he begs to have a second chance to work for Israeli intelligence. The reason seems to be because Omar is in love with a girl and is even willing to consider helping the Jews in order to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison. What exactly happens next, you'll just need to see for yourself.

Technically speaking, Omar is a very good film. Its plot is engaging, the acting and direction are very nice. It is a movie, however, that is bound to ruffle a lot of feathers. When I saw the film, especially the ending, I felt very disturbed. The film clearly takes a stand against the Israeli government and their handling of the Palestinians—some of these complaints are very reasonable. But, at the same time, the film also seems to throw gasoline on the hatred that is already there— especially the ending which seemed to stoke the fires of hate. It could have chosen the high road but didn't. It also tended to direct the viewer more against Israel's use of torture and the work of their secret police as opposed to the main characters who are terrorists who killed someone and planned on killing more. In fact, with a different ending, it would have made the film a lot better. Now I am NOT a guy with super-strong opinions about Israel and the Palestinians—though I know more violence isn't the solution. I am much more wondering if there ever is a chance for peace and, unfortunately, assume there isn't. This film does not appear to be working hard in that direction but on inflaming instead. On the other hand, I assume I am just wasting my time complaining. If you are inclined to really hate Israel, you'll love the film. If you are inclined to hate Palestinians, you'll hate the film. And, if you see both sides as perpetuating death (regardless of which one is MORE at fault—this sort of thinking gets us nowhere)…well, perhaps you might just want to watch something else.

I am sorry that my review seems less like a review than a commentary, but with this sort of film it's practically impossible NOT to have your own opinions and biases affect the way you see and assess the film. You decide if it's worth seeing.

By addicting them to sugar cubes, and then constructing a simple trap in which the faster primate is caught by the smarter (human) primate, who knows that a sugar-addicted monkey will lose his freedom forever rather than kissing a sugar cube grasped in a closed fist goodbye--even when opening that fist would make for an easy escape. OMAR asks the question haunting the Middle East for decades: "Who is the monkey?" From the perspective of this flick, at least, everyone over there is "the monkey." The most devious main character in this story gets ALL the sugar, while it's curtains for the rest of them. OMAR's lesson is that you can survive in a trouble zone if you're an unprincipled back-stabber. On the other hand, if you have any moral standards at all, they'll surely bring you to an early grave in the troubled Middle East. Many previous films prove this state of affairs also prevailed during "The Troubles" in Ireland, as well as in Civil War America, and countless other conflict sectors. OMAR's best survival tip: Move to New Zealand. (Hobbits are friendlier than people.)