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Divine Intervention

Released Jan 17, 2003 1h 32m Drama List
81% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Lovers (Elia Suleiman, Manal Khader) from different cities meet at an Israeli checkpoint and observe unfolding events.
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Divine Intervention

Divine Intervention

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Critics Consensus

Suleiman utilizes absurdist humor to craft a provocative, original film.

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Critics Reviews

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Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel The visual puns, sight gags and the little parables told by the few speaking characters are rarely laugh-out-loud funny. But they provoke thought, debate and diverse interpretations. Rated: 4/5 Jun 20, 2003 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle It's ridiculous and smart, hilarious and terrifying, difficult to swallow and probably a necessary antidote to the cacophonous history of a land that all too often seems anything but holy. Rated: 3/5 May 11, 2003 Full Review Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News It makes for an intriguing example of how to use art, rather than bombs, to make a sustained political point. Rated: B May 8, 2003 Full Review William Mullally The National (UAE) Divine Intervention is not an essay – it’s a diary. It’s a window into one man’s soul, at times sharply focused and other times disassociated. Rated: 4.5/5 Jul 20, 2024 Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Rated: 4/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Jordan Hiller Bangitout.com Elia Suleiman is a talented man who made a striking film to voice the sorrows of his people and there are sorrows to be lamented, but his film is drawn from an ugliness and intellectual dishonesty that besmirches any lesson that could possibly be extracte Rated: 2/4 Aug 17, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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j F It was very slow, challenging. Unless I kept my patience and observed the small signs of humor, it got boring. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/20/23 Full Review John A Loved the dark humour, and (as a drummer) loved the soundtrack too. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/17/23 Full Review dave s Divine Intervention is a sporadically interesting but ultimately disappointing comment on day-to-day Palestinian/Israeli relations. Consisting of a number of brief vignettes, the majority shot with a stationary camera, emotionless and often unblinking characters go about their daily business with a humor as dry as the arid environment. Some of the humor might illicit a slight chuckle, but most of it results in nothing more than a furrowed brow and confusion. A Palestinian woman walks through an Israeli checkpoint, her overwhelming beauty causing the guard tower to collapse. A balloon with the image of Yasser Arafat on it causes confusion among Israeli soldiers. A mother and son stare at a pressure cooker, the symbolism as subtle as a face slap. It all feels superficially deep, if that makes any sense. Just because something is surreal doesn't make it art. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review david k This film simply never hung together. Between scenes that made sense were numerous scenes that made no sense whatsoever. Like the last scene in the film, 2 people watching a pressure cooker. Ridiculous. Of course one can read a message into it - Israel and Palestine getting ready to explode? - but our message is guesswork. The film itself does not hang together. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A silent comedy whose intention to parody the tension that of Israeli-Palestinian neighbours is more likely to make the general audience scratch their heads, what with some of the borrowed ideas from The Matrix. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member One perfect encounter into two different types of people Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Divine Intervention

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lovers (Elia Suleiman, Manal Khader) from different cities meet at an Israeli checkpoint and observe unfolding events.
Director
Elia Suleiman
Producer
Humbert Balsan
Screenwriter
Elia Suleiman
Distributor
Avatar Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Arabic
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 17, 2003, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 12, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA)
$390.8K
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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