DISC D: Elite Zexer. Israel. 87 min. Sep 13, 6:45 pm Scotiabank 13 Sep 14, 9:15 am TIFF Bell Lightbox 3 Sep 17, 4 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 4. Rating NNNNN
Strong-headed women spiral out of control against an archaic patriarchy in this scorching and intimate Israeli melodrama.
Layla (Lamis Ammar) lives in a Bedouin village. She follows Islamic rituals but picks up modern values at school. Her doting father, Suliman (Haitham Omari), encourages Layla, pushing her education – in a culture that finds no practical value in such a thing – and letting her get behind the wheel when no one’s looking.
Meanwhile, mom Jalila (Ruba Blal-Asfour) seems a strict and disapproving traditionalist. But things aren’t cut-and-dry in Zexer’s masterful and wrenching debut. Characters reveal their will and hypocrisy slowly: the mother upholding the patriarchy becomes a tragic and inspiring figure trying to protect her children from some harsh truths.
