Conversation With The Sea

Set in Jerusalem, Muayad Alayan’s fourth feature sensitively explores the relentless situation in which Kama, a Palestinian father (a stunning Kamel El Basha), finds himself trapped.

Convicted by an Israeli court, Kama must repay the overdue social security contributions owed by his son, who died twenty years earlier in the Red Sea. With no evidence but the name of an Israeli woman found in a report, Kamal must prove his son’s death while re-establishing contact with his circle of friends and family, who haven’t seen him in years and hold a deep grudge against him. In a highly safeguarded society, his investigations reveal numerous tensions between communities, and the difficulty of proving his son's innocence.

How does one mourn a loved one whose body one has never seen? Film after film, Alayan depicts the lives of Palestinians in Israel and the complexities of their coexistence. The strength of this screenplay lies in the development of its main character: at 60, Kama carries a heavy past that is revealed only through the encounters he has as the film unfolds. A remorse-ridden antihero caught between police violence and everyday racism, he moves through the city with determination, in an almost futile struggle to clear his son’s name.

Based on true events, with a fantastic lead actor and meticulous direction, Conversation With The Sea is both a social commentary and a personal quest.

CLAIRE DIAO

Content advisory: racist language, explicit violence