By Nate Feldman
Movie Title: Ghampani
Year: 2017
Country: Nepal
Ghampani is a 2017 Nepali film about two villagers from different
castes and ethnic backgrounds falling in love and the turmoil that this creates
between their families. Phurba, a local school teacher from a Tamang
family, is in love with Tara, a daughter of a local Brahmin with significant
standing in the village, who has been away studying in the capitol city of
Kathmandu. When she returns to the village, Phurba is there to walk her
from the bus station to her home, showing that they have been in love for a
while. Their families have been close since they were young children, and
their fathers still regularly socialize over chess matches. However, the
idea that these two would fall in love has never really crossed the minds of
either family, so they have kept their romance a secret.
Things are complicated
by the arrival of Kamal, a new and extremely mischievous police inspector, in
town, who has interest in Tara and persuades her father to arrange a marriage
between them. Phurba and Tara want to avoid this at all costs, but they
do so at the risk of alienating their families from them. Kamal, aware of
Phurba's secret relationship with Tara, taunts him about his plans to marry
Tara. Things boil over when at a village celebration for the local
school, Phurba assaults the police inspector after seeing him act
inappropriately around Tara. Phurba, now wanted by the police, and
Tara make a choice to run away from the village together and get married.
But, can their love overcome the societal forces around them?
This film beautifully
shows the life of villagers in rural Nepal and gives the viewer a deep
appreciation for the different cultures and traditions among people
there. It also shows the challenges of people in a mutli-ethnic society
co-existing despite different values. Anyone who is interested in
learning about Nepali culture and seeing a charming love story that has both
beautiful love scenes as well as a lot of humor will definitely enjoy this
film.
Movie: Tel Aviv on Fire
Year: 2018
Country: Israel/Palestine
Tel Aviv on
Fire is a 2018 satirical drama by
Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi about a Palestinian soap opera writer and the
relationship he forms with the Israeli commander at the local checkpoint he
must cross to go to work every day.
Salaam Abass, an East
Jerusalem Palestinian, has begun working for his uncle, a soap opera producer
based in Ramallah, on his TV show "Tel Aviv on Fire." The show
revolves around a Palestinian woman prior to the 1967 Six Day's War being sent
on a mission by Palestinian fighters to get top secret information from an
Israeli general. Salaam is there to help with the character's Hebrew, but
he is eventually promoted to full-time writer. The only problem is he has
no writing experience, so he begins consulting Assi Tzur, the commanding
officer at the checkpoint Salaam crosses through to get from Jerusalem to
Ramallah and back on a daily basis, for ideas with his script. Assi
offers his assistance in return for Salaam bringing him the best hummus
possible. This begins a bizarre, often humorous relationship between the
Palestinian soap opera writer and an Israeli soldier controlling his
movements. Assi, whose wife is a devoted fan of the show, insists the
Palestinian spy in the story fall in love and marry the Israeli general.
Salaam, however, realizes such a plotline would offend the Palestinian backers
and audience of the story. But Assi is willing to do everything possible
to make sure the story turns out as he envisions.
Tel Aviv on
Fire is an incredible movie which
remarkably gives insights on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while remaining
humorous and depicting characters from both sides of the conflict in a
sympathetic light. The film itself is a model of co-existence with
well-accomplished Palestinian and Israeli actors working together. The
movie, both in the fictional and real world, shows that while the longstanding
Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be difficult to resolve, little bits of
coexistence and peace are already there.
