Circus Palestina

A financially shaky Slavic circus troupe stops at a West Bank settlement only to have its lion escape, causing comical consternation in the Israeli army and provoking the animosity of Palestinian villagers. Circus-related hijinks, romantic entanglements, and other assorted travails ensue as the lion, in a symbolic running joke, roams freely, surrounded by the dangers of everyday existence in the region. In a lamely pointed allusion to Apocalypse Now, one Israeli soldier remarks how he "loves the sound of machine guns in the morning." Regardless of the (unfortunately) perennial subject matter, the political overtones in this parable about Jewish-Arab relations are both somewhat less than subtle and rather uninspired. Very optional. (T. Rich)