“THE ATTACK” My rating: B (Now at the Tivoli)
102 minutes | MPAA rating: R
Amin Jafaari is leading the good life. Though an Arab, he has carved an enviable niche in Israeli society. He has a beautiful wife, a fine home, and an illustrious career as a hotshot surgeon. As the film begins, in fact, he is accepting a prestigious award…the first Arab to ever receive it.
The buzz won’t last long. The next day a suicide bombing sends dozens of victims — mostly children attending birthday parties in a Tel Aviv restaurant — to Amin’s emergency room. With professional cool he patches together bodies (although one bloody victim refuses to be treated by an Arab).
The nightmare is just beginning. He’s called back in the middle of the night to identify the body — or the half that’s still recognizable — of the suicide bomber. It is his wife, Siham.
Amin is rocked. He protests that his wife — she was off visiting relatives — would never do such a thing. Before long he’s in handcuffs being manhandled by a scary cop (Uri Gavriel) who seems determined to make him an accomplice to the crime. After three sleepless nights (his cell rocks to high-volume death metal) Amin finds himself out on the street.
When a goodbye letter from his wife arrives in the mail, Amin must admit that Siham was, indeed, the bomber. But why? How did she hide this part of her life from him? How could he be so clueless?
That confusion and angst is perfectly captured by Nazareth-born actor Ali Suliman. He’s terrific…and he needs to be, because I can’t help feeling that this psychological study from Lebanese writer/director Ziad Doueiri is a bit of a cheat. (more…)
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