Alam

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1:58

Alam

2022

1h 49m

Drama

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13 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Despite being part of a young generation of Palestinian Arabs whose families chose to stay and challenge the Israeli state after Al-Nakba, 17-year-old Tamer and his friends are just like any other group of teenage boys. They clumsily search for drugs, flirt with girls, play video games, and slack off at school. However, when a beautiful new student named Maysaa' joins their class Tamer immediately falls for her and, by association, is drawn into her political activism. Together they join fellow classmate, Safwat, in an operation to covertly raise the Palestinian flag and peacefully disrupt the local celebrations planned for Israel's Independence Day -- otherwise known to Palestinians as a day of mourning and memorialization for their displacement 70 years prior. Unsure of his own political convictions, Tamer must quickly determine what matters to him and what price he is willing to pay for freedom. A skillful examination of the fraught political awakening young Palestinians are forced to undergo, this TIFF world premiere "perfectly captures teenage fearlessness and bravado along with a certain cluelessness about how the real-world works" (Variety). An striking debut feature film from Firas Khoury, ALAM marries conversations around nationalism and iconography with the universal themes of growing up.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

I thought it was very strong, and man these kids can act.

May 10, 2024

Full Review

Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

It’s about the loss of innocence and essential politicisation of the young through acts of resistance with a flag as a tool and ally.

Jun 8, 2023

Full Review

Adam Mullins-Khatib

Chicago Reader

Khoury’s Alam is an affecting and effective film firmly fixated on contradictions and how we navigate them to create a sense of self.

May 17, 2023

Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

Alam is a sincere and honest film. Its thoughtful presentation of its central character’s dilemma—the desire to live a normal life under conditions of perpetual repression and violence ...—has a resonance beyond the borders of the Middle East.

Jan 13, 2025

Full Review

Joshua Polanski

Boston Hassle

I’m not sure how many better endings I will see this year.

Jul 5, 2024

Full Review

Hanna Flint

The New Arab

Khoury carefully portrays the gutsy and, at times, naive drive of a youth awakened by the politics of identity, nationalism and systemic oppression.

May 13, 2024

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Nad N

ALAM (The Flag) علم This film… so good, so crushing. 😮‍💨 The acting is superb. It pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re right there with them. A powerful story of people, places, and the politics that shape them.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

richie v

TODO POR LA PATRIA En tiempos y situaciones como las que están teniendo palestinos e israelitas son en las que tenemos que reflexionar ahora, y sacar una solución para no destruir más institutos ni familias, en este caso lo único que les motiva a seguir con esta pesadilla es su instituto, que no infecten las calles con banderas ajenas, especialmente la bandera rival. Ellos son de ese grupo, rebeldes. No he notado tanto una rebeldía de instituto, aunque sí la desesperación por las drogas y las mujeres, que eso ya cuadra más, pero, más bien sus hormonas reaccionando justificadamente contra la injusticia que han recibido los palestinos durante muchos y largos años. Activismo político bien tratado pero con falta de dramatismo para lo que se pretende, y estando en una dura época que se necesita más emoción aún de la que pido. No incluiría tanto en la sinopsis que ésta tratara de un enamoramiento, no obstante, ellos dos, Tamer y Maysaa consiguen mucho protagonismo cómo vínculo amoroso. Pero al final estoy viendo otra historia de sentido común, humana, y un grito por el fin de una guerra (inútil), aunque dónde también el amor actúa en grande. Alam tiene unos personajes interesantísimos, muy maduros para la ignorancia en la que los chavales se encuentran, sobre todo por la censura histórica que tienen esos mentirosos libros del instituto (si es que ya lo decía Bunbury en una de sus canciones). Todos ellos hacen interpretaciones muy buenas, graciosas y esperanzadoras, pero Tamer y Maysaa destacan y el mensaje de todo esto da una negativa a la represión. Aunque se debería de saber lo que está bien y mal. Real, y algo conmovedora. -RICHIE VALERO Y me pierdo entre los signos Y las mentiras de los libros ¡Qué mentirosos que son! Que cada amanecer proponen, cavar muertos, sembrar vivos. La visión de vuestras almas - Héroes del Silencio

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

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Firas Khoury

Director

Mohammad Karaki

Shekel

Mohammad Bakri

Tamer

Muhammad Abed Elrahman

Safwat

Ahmad Zaghmouri

Actor

Saleh Bakri

Uncle Naji

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Alam: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Despite being part of a young generation of Palestinian Arabs whose families chose to stay and challenge the Israeli state after Al-Nakba, 17-year-old Tamer and his friends are just like any other group of teenage boys. They clumsily search for drugs, flirt with girls, play video games, and slack off at school. However, when a beautiful new student named Maysaa' joins their class Tamer immediately falls for her and, by association, is drawn into her political activism. Together they join fellow classmate, Safwat, in an operation to covertly raise the Palestinian flag and peacefully disrupt the local celebrations planned for Israel's Independence Day -- otherwise known to Palestinians as a day of mourning and memorialization for their displacement 70 years prior. Unsure of his own political convictions, Tamer must quickly determine what matters to him and what price he is willing to pay for freedom. A skillful examination of the fraught political awakening young Palestinians are forced to undergo, this TIFF world premiere "perfectly captures teenage fearlessness and bravado along with a certain cluelessness about how the real-world works" (Variety). An striking debut feature film from Firas Khoury, ALAM marries conversations around nationalism and iconography with the universal themes of growing up.

Director: Firas Khoury
Producer: Naomie Lagadec, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadea, Ossama Bawardi, Melik Kochbati
Screenwriter: Firas Khoury, Firas Khoury
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: MPM Film
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Hebrew
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2024
Runtime: 1h 49m

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