Filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter finds herself fixating on Gaza after the death of her mother, a proud Palestinian who ended up across the ocean seeking a better life for her daughter. Zuaiter hasn’t seen the beaches of Gaza since her childhood, but family photos remind her of moments from her earliest memories. Seeking further connection with the place of her birth, Zuaiter reaches out to Ahmad Matar, member of PK Gaza and the parkour group’s resident filmmaker. The two bond over their shared birthplace and careers as filmmakers, and it’s through this friendship that Zuaiter gives us a closer look at Matar and his life in Gaza as the years pass and the violence escalates. Through this relationship, we see that the truest act of resistance is living despite everything.
Yalla Parkour is a sort of memory portrait of a friend. Settled firmly in the oddball category of social documentary, many critics have been overly harsh about the film’s “scatterbrained” nature. Those looking for less of an informational experience and more of an experiential one are the target audience. While there are some issues with production (seen in a few big time jumps) that make it clear Zuaiter was working toward something different to begin with, there is this almost natural memory feeling to the flow of consciousness that Yalla Parkour uses. This will appeal to the more cerebral viewer and does a great job of telling Matar’s story with his interactions with Zuaiter. He’s not posing for the camera or answering interview questions as he and his PK Gaza compatriots have been seen in short documentaries before. What we see is two friends hanging out, and that kind of human connection is hard to accurately preserve outside of the rare excellent social documentary. Fans of Parkour, those who consider themselves Palestinian activists, and people interested in the lives of the people of Gaza will be most interested in this title, but those studying human relationships will also find value in Zuaiter and Matar’s interactions throughout the film. Highly Recommended.
What academic subjects or university courses would benefit from this documentary about Gaza?
Yalla Parkour offers valuable material for courses in Middle Eastern studies, Palestinian studies, sociology, anthropology, documentary filmmaking, and media studies. Rather than providing a conventional political or historical overview of Gaza, the film uses the friendship between Areeb Zuaiter and Ahmad Matar to explore everyday life, memory, displacement, and human connection. Its unusual structure also makes it useful for documentary studies courses examining personal filmmaking, nonlinear storytelling, and the ways filmmakers can preserve experiences that might otherwise disappear.
Which audiences should watch Yalla Parkour?
Yalla Parkour will appeal most strongly to viewers interested in Palestinian life, Gaza, parkour, international documentaries, and experiential nonfiction filmmaking. Its focus on Matar and Zuaiter’s friendship offers a personal perspective that differs from more conventional documentaries about the region, emphasizing ordinary conversations, shared memories, and daily life alongside the violence surrounding Gaza. Patrons who enjoy intimate, artistically constructed documentaries will find it particularly rewarding, while its themes of friendship, diaspora, identity, and resilience give the film relevance beyond audiences already familiar with its political context.
Enjoyed this review? Subscribe to Video Librarian today for access to over 40,000 pages of film resources tailored for librarians, educators, and non-theatrical audiences.