Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements by Muayad Alayan (review)

For most of Muayad Ayalan’s first full-length feature film, love takes a back seat to theft and other entanglements as the protagonist Mousa (Sami Metwasi) spends his time determining what it means to be a real man under the Israeli occupation. Mousa is a Peter Pan–like figure who cannot seem to face reality and grow up, and the dark comedy centers on his bumbling escapades as he tries his hand at carjacking, displaying various role models of Palestinian manhood. Shot on location, the black-and-white film alternates between Jerusalem, Beit Safafa, Sharafat, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sohour, and Khadour, as well as the Dheisheh and Aida refugee camps.

Mousa’s father (Hussein Nakhleh) epitomizes the steady, reliable, hardworking man who has endured such hardships as life in a refugee camp and is grateful to have a permit that allows him “inside” to do honest work and keep food on the table. Mousa is more preoccupied with the scant income he and his father are making than with the fact that their work is “building” the Israeli state. To his father, Mousa lacks ambition, respect, and the ability to accept the consequences of his actions, as Mousa leaves the construction job to steal a car, threatening both of their work permits. Mousa casually announces that he can make more money in an hour than both of them in a year (in their current work). After cursing, his father states, “You will never be a man.” The next day a humiliated Mousa hides behind a newspaper rather than confront his father as he crosses the checkpoint to work.

Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements examines the politics of everyday life from the point of view of Palestinian men. Though the militia leader (Kamel Elbasha) is one of Mousa’s few other role models, he does not exude glamour, intelligence, charisma, beneficence, or even standard Hollywood aspects of masculinity aside from the guns he carries. Indeed, the militiamen seem rather incompetent, and the resistance leader is involved in delicate negotiations with the Israelis for the release of Palestinian political prisoners. If Mousa admired this form of masculinity as a child in the camps, to the adult Mousa trying to eke out an existence, it is not impressive.

For most of the film, Mousa’s admiration is channeled toward the chop-parts dealer, Ibrahim (Nicola Zreineh), on whom he depends for steady income. Ibrahim is on the margin between the honest, hard work of his father and the gun-toting, kidnapping work of the militias. Mousa believes that working with Ibrahim might bring him closer to his beloved, Manal (Maya Abu Alhayat), a married woman. The fact that Manal is married and has a young daughter does not deter Mousa, particularly because her husband, Kamal (Ramzi Maqdisi), represents a negative stereotype of Palestinian manhood. A wealthy businessman, Kamal appears to use his money only to buy power, authority, and possessions. Whether Kamal inherited this wealth or was simply able to go to school to eventually achieve it, his privilege is clearly not available to a kid from the camps, nor does it seem desirable.

Mousa aspires to make more of his life in a scheme to leave the country, preferably with Manal. Initially, Manal appears as a rather flat, undeveloped character, stunningly beautiful with a troubled past. Though early in the film she is concerned primarily with whether Mousa still loves her, by the end she comes into her own, taking charge of her life and her destiny without male protection.

Israeli masculinity provides a foil to Mousa’s search for manhood. The Israeli soldier Avi (Riyad Sliman) whom he mistakenly captures appears to be Mousa’s equivalent: neither is particularly bright; each ambles aimlessly through life. This mirroring is suggested in a humorous scene when Mousa asks Avi about his role in the military and Avi reveals his lack of talent. Individually and as national representatives, however, they parallel in the lives they lead...