Oriented

What is it like to be a gay Palestinian living in occupied territory where people are already seen as the “other”? Filmmaker Jake Witzenfeld's interesting, fly-on-the-wall documentary centers on a trio of gay Arabs for whom life under Israeli rule is a mixed bag: one can choose to be free of ideology, but there is no escaping the fact of occupation. The three twentysomething friends—Khader, Fadi, and Naim—cope with this issue while trying to enjoy their lives and grow. The most extroverted, Khader, speaks publicly about gay rights while living with a Jewish boyfriend and enduring air raids together. The more introspective Fadi worries that he might fall for a Jew who could seem oblivious to the Palestinian situation. Naim, the only one of the three who hasn't come out of the closet to his family, vaguely but insistently tries to tell his pained, confused parents that he needs to move all the way to Tel Aviv to attain a “freedom” that he can't explain. Between these dramas, the guys hit nightclubs, party, and attend a rock concert in Jordan, and Khader and his partner decide on a long holiday in Berlin—only to be reminded by Fadi that Islamophobia is rampant in Europe as well. For some, true freedom can still only be a state of mind. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)