miral

we saw julian schnabel's movie, miral last night.  it has received mixed reviews in the press and i was a bit worried that it wouldn't be as good a film as i was hoping it would be. i was happy to have been wrong - critics seldom get it all right and rarely step ahead of the pack.
i am a big fan of julian schnabel's films. i loved 'the diving bell and the butterfly' and 'before night falls' and really enjoyed this film as well. it has its small flaws, the most prominent being the casting of an indian actress to play the lead palestinian roll - but movie making requires big money and bollywood has a lot of financial clout, so i'll leave that one alone and just say that this is a movie you shouldn't miss.
miral is based on a semi-autobiographical novel written by rula jebreal. it tells the story of four palestinian women and how each confronts the occupation of their outer world and inner spirit. it is the story of a peoples struggle and of personal choices.  it's a beautifully directed movie that will no doubt struggle to make itself heard here in the states- but nevertheless an important and rare film that provokes conversation and contemplation - two ideal results after watching this story come to life.

julian schnabel and rula jebreal on charlie rose