SPOILERS **** Wow. some pretty powerful discussions going on in the various houses with the parentals; the first guy clearly has a disconnect from his parents, who want him to live at home and be miserable, since he can't be himself. Notice how the dad keeps his nose in the air when he looks at his son on the right. Then...we travel to Fadi's house, where Both his folks are so accepting, and just want him to be happy. Hearing that even makes the other guy, Khader, tear up, since he also has a bad relationship with his dad... as he says, they don't communicate at all. And another underlying issue arab vs. jews comes up now and then, as they are always living with that in the background. About 25 minutes in, they analyze a music video, but with the language barrier, that part was a little confusing. Yes, I did have subtitles turned on. Some very touching scenes when they film their own video. Lots of discussion groups meeting to talk about gay issues or how entwined politics are in their belief system. An interesting group of arabs living in Israel. Traveling to Amman. and berlin. I think Fadi had too much to drink when he went on and on about how he cannot date a jew but his friend kept saying what difference does it make? or maybe that scene was staged. who knows. not me. we also see them go into a shelter area, and that reminds us that there is still a political struggle of homelands going on. Very entertaining. just shows that with all our different languages and society rules, we're all so alike, and want the same things out of life. Very well done. Highly recommended.
3 Reviews
(Dis)Oriented
dcarsonhagy4 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Another hidden gem found on On-Demand. "Oriented" is a movie about three Palestinian friends who are seeking their sexual identities. However, this movie is so much more because these three men are also seeking their NATIONAL identities. Think about this: you are gay and you live in a country who many of your fellow men think of as Zionists. Not only do you not feel a part of your sexual identity (because being gay is still taboo in these countries), but you really do not know where your feelings fall when it comes to the ongoing war being fought between Palestine and Israel.
Khader lives with his boyfriend, David, who is Jewish. I loved their Dalmatian named Otis! Khader is probably the most at east about his sexuality. He and David get along well, but all does not end well in this relationship. It seems that sometimes friendships DO get in the way of love. Fadi is adamant about his nationality. Trouble with him, is he seems to ALWAYS fall for the "enemy," i.e. a Jewish man. He stays so distraught over his choices that he simply cannot allow himself to be happy. And then there is Naeem, who I felt the most sorry for. His family does not know--well, I think they KNOW; they just refuse to acknowledge--he is homosexual. The letter he writes to them and his choice to cut all ties really tugs at your heart strings.
What I admired most about this movie was it was not just about some twinks "gaying it up" in the Middle East. The director presented the viewer with real people--each one experiencing a different kind of life, with each one having to make serious choices. This is NOT a sexual film, so if the viewer thinks he/she will be getting some sort of titillation by seeing the underbelly of Middle Eastern gay culture, you need to choose another movie.
The movie is rated "R" for adult themes. There is no nudity and very little language. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Khader lives with his boyfriend, David, who is Jewish. I loved their Dalmatian named Otis! Khader is probably the most at east about his sexuality. He and David get along well, but all does not end well in this relationship. It seems that sometimes friendships DO get in the way of love. Fadi is adamant about his nationality. Trouble with him, is he seems to ALWAYS fall for the "enemy," i.e. a Jewish man. He stays so distraught over his choices that he simply cannot allow himself to be happy. And then there is Naeem, who I felt the most sorry for. His family does not know--well, I think they KNOW; they just refuse to acknowledge--he is homosexual. The letter he writes to them and his choice to cut all ties really tugs at your heart strings.
What I admired most about this movie was it was not just about some twinks "gaying it up" in the Middle East. The director presented the viewer with real people--each one experiencing a different kind of life, with each one having to make serious choices. This is NOT a sexual film, so if the viewer thinks he/she will be getting some sort of titillation by seeing the underbelly of Middle Eastern gay culture, you need to choose another movie.
The movie is rated "R" for adult themes. There is no nudity and very little language. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
No story, no drama
ersbel27 August 2017
Everything starts out well. Three guys. They identify as gay. They identify as Palestinians. And they say they have Israeli ID cards. They are middle class. But at no time it is revealed what they do. Because the videos that they film are quite far apart and they seem as a play between friends and not jobs.
Than we see that only one is fully accepted by his own family, and the others cry a bit, but for the viewer there is not much to relate to the scene unless the viewer is living a similar case.
The guys are political. But there are only hints that they do have anything to worry about. Not only that, but they are reluctant to move away from that awful place when given the opportunity. So should I care about the drama queens? Anyway, by half time the novelty is exhausted and the talks, although personal, become the same dilemmas rehashed. By two thirds into the movie I was waiting for the ending. Which does not bring anything. It's like the end of footage, not the end of a documentary.
Disappointing.
Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch
Than we see that only one is fully accepted by his own family, and the others cry a bit, but for the viewer there is not much to relate to the scene unless the viewer is living a similar case.
The guys are political. But there are only hints that they do have anything to worry about. Not only that, but they are reluctant to move away from that awful place when given the opportunity. So should I care about the drama queens? Anyway, by half time the novelty is exhausted and the talks, although personal, become the same dilemmas rehashed. By two thirds into the movie I was waiting for the ending. Which does not bring anything. It's like the end of footage, not the end of a documentary.
Disappointing.
Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch
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