Israel’s mostly Arabic-language international feature submission “The Sea” offers a deceptively simple premise: a headstrong 12-year-old boy from a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank illegally enters Israel on his own to see the sea. Without being judgmental, director-writer Shai Carmeli Pollak uses this foundation to expose painful realities of the occupation, as well as the indifference to them displayed by many of those in Tel Aviv’s urban “bubble.” Made as a collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, the film becomes a deeply humanist tale about borders, permits, the interdependent economies of two neighbors and the power of the dominant language. Menemsha Films is distributing in the U.S.
Khaled (Mohammed Ghazaoui, the best actor winner at Israel’s Ophir Awards for his nearly silent performance) lives with his two younger brothers and an older sister in a home lovingly but somewhat ineffectively presided over by his grandmother (Marlene Bajjali). His mother is dead and the village’s harsh economic situation leads his father Ribhi (Khalifa Natour, winner of the supporting actor Ophir) to work construction jobs in Israel. Since Ribhi lacks a permit to be in Israel, he sometimes stays on his job site for weeks at a time and calls home at night.
As with many tween boys, consideration doesn’t appear to be Khaled’s strong suit. Without much supervision, he often finds trouble. He heedlessly wanders into demonstrations against the occupation, during which the Israeli soldiers repel the demonstrators by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Without considering the danger, he collects empty shells and canisters, which he can sell for the metal. When we see him stow one metal item in his backpack, it becomes an object of tension as we wonder who might discover it.
Like his classmates, Khaled has been eagerly awaiting his school’s trip to the Mediterranean. For him and most of the others, it will mark the first time they have been to the beach and can splash in the waves. The sea is less than an hour from Khaled’s village, but it lies within Israel’s borders. At a checkpoint, a young soldier with a large assault rifle enters the bus and the previously noisy youngsters fall silent. The teacher presents a list of who is on board, but for unknown reasons Khaled lacks a permit to enter and must disembark and return home, while the others drive on.
Indignant, Khaled crosses illegally into Israel along with a bunch of manual workers. He has no plan, no money and doesn’t speak or understand Hebrew — but he is determined to see the sea. Like some holy fool, his determination and innocence protect him, but only up to a point.
Shot in a straightforward style with an acute attention to detail, Pollak shows the urban landscapes and multi-ethnic denizens of Tel Aviv through Khaled’s eyes. The boy has the presence of mind to seek help from Arabic-language speakers, but these are not so easy to find. One kind young woman gives him a slip of paper and teaches him to say in Hebrew, “Excuse me, where is the sea?”
Meanwhile, Ribhi is notified of Khaled’s disappearance and hears that he crossed into Israel. Angry and frustrated, he leaves the relative safety of his workplace to try to find the lad. Armed with his basic Hebrew, along with some money, a bus pass and a simple black yarmulke provided by his workmates to help him blend in, Ribhi sets out. A fine, nuanced performer, Natour makes us aware of the danger his illegal status puts him in. Every time he speaks in Arabic on his phone, he feels that people regard him suspiciously.
Ultimately, Khaled and Ribhi reunite, but not in the way viewers might have expected. The powerful finale, witnessed by Tel Avivans and tourists drinking iced soy lattes at an outdoor café, serves as a powerful empathy generator for some, although not all. After the film nabbed five awards at Israel’s annual Ophirs, the Minister of Culture, outraged at the depiction of Israeli soldiers, threatened to defund the ceremony.
Despite what some may think, “The Sea,” is no cynical usurpation of the “other” or a sanitization of Israel’s reputation. Veteran helmer Pollak (“Bil’in, My Love”), an Arabic speaker, has again ventured to a place most Israelis tend to repress or ignore. Producer Agbariya is known for prize-winning films by Palestinian directors such as “Thirst,” “Omar” and “Mediterranean Fever.” Their sincere collaboration even involves their extended families, with Agbariya’s brother playing the role of Khaled’s uncle, plus Pollak’s wife and daughter portraying friendly people that Khaled meets on the Tel Aviv streets.
Like Tunisia’s Oscar submission “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” “The Sea” offers a look at contemporary interactions between Palestinians and Israelis. But while “Hind Rajab” presents and preserves a sadly lost voice, “The Sea” is all the more powerful for showing how other young Palestinian voices are going unheard.