Until When...

Dahna Abourahme's Until When… offers a portrait of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, focusing on four families in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. The subjects are: the Hammashes, a clan spanning three generations, whose elderly grandparents lovingly remember the village from which they were expelled in 1948 and granddaughters argue in favor of violent resistance; Emad and Hanan, a couple trying to live a relatively normal life for the sake of their four-year-old daughter but are inevitably drawn into the activities of the intifada opposition; Sana, a young woman whose commute time to her job at a community center is quadrupled by Israeli travel restrictions; and Fadi, a 13-year-old taking care of his younger brothers while his mother works, who is irresistibly drawn to protest Israeli control. Abourahme eschews narration, merely focusing her camera on her subjects as they talk about their experiences, their anger, and their hopes. The overarching theme is a demand for the “right of return” as part of any eventual peace settlement—a demand which, of course, Israel is unlikely ever to meet. Until When… (a title taken from a remark by grandfather Hammash, who asks, “Until when will we remain in exile?”) puts a human face on the Palestinian experience. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)