Directed by Elite Zexer
Israel/France | Arabic w/ English subtitles | Fiction | 2016 | 87 min
Film Source: Kino Lorber
Showtimes: Tuesday, October 25 | 4:00 p.m. | FH
Awards: Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema – Sundance Film Festival / Roger Ebert Prize for Best Foreign Film for a First-Time Filmmaker – Traverse City Film Festival
Debut writer/director Elite Zexer’s tale of familial relationships across three generations, set in a Bedouin village in Southern Israel, is at once a condemnation of its misogynistic culture and a nuanced portrait of its women. In this polygamous society, we witness Jalila preparing the wedding celebrations for her husband’s new second wife. To add to her woes, Jalila discovers that her daughter Layla has a secret boyfriend in school. Drama after quiet drama follows. What makes this film stand out is Zexer’s ability to flesh out complex characters (including the father) and her understanding that the oppression of these women manifests itself not only through the action of the men, but also by the way the women themselves have internalized it. Sand Storm is an intelligent and mesmerizing film about a culture that few outsiders get to see. ~OY
Also Showing: Sunday, October 23 | 4:00 p.m. | BB