🇵🇸Palestinian Film Fest 2024 Review - A House in Jerusalem

Images courtesy of Original Spin.

This year the Palestinian Film Festival has come to Naarm/Melbourne with some standout films, and A House In Jerusalem is definitely one to watch. 

Seasoned director Muayad Alayan and his brother and co-writer Rami Alayan take us on a winding journey through the eyes of british-jewish girl Rebecca, and her new life in Jerusalem following the death of her mother. Her father does his best to give her life some newfound purpose and maintain Rebecca’s sanity, but the house they occupy is haunted by the trauma of a Palestinian girl.

A doll found in the garden, wardrobes swinging open, and footsteps up and down the stairs; it looks like a typical horror film. However it’s not the paranormal that is unsettling, it’s the history  carries with it, something that has outlived generations. Slowly, Rebecca befriends the ghost of the Palestinian girl, and the film spirals into a twisting nightmare. We watch the adults around  try to contain her, but the truth begs to come out.

It’s interesting that we see this story through Rebecca’s eyes, and not her fathers. Children have always been a symbol of innocence, possessing a sense of naivety that isn’t clouded by the greed and desires of adults. They have this righteous clear-headedness to see through the veil and identify suffering, and then share this awareness with their parents -  exactly what Rebecca does here. Miley Locke’s protagonist is a standout, strong performance - not an easy feat for a child. They had a sweet naivety that really progressed the child-like exploration of the film.

A House In Jerusalem is quite clinical in its cinematography, filled with static shots, resulting in producing an occasionally unmoving and sterile environment, which works extremely effectively to convey the sense of horror Rebecca feels as she understands the history of the land she lives on. As this story is told through the eyes of a child, Alayan and his cinematographer, Sebastian Bock, certainly could have used the lens with greater creativity and playfulness. In saying that, there are some extraordinary stand alone shots planted throughout this film that are a feast for the eyes.

Factually, this film is about the stain that the 1948 Nakba left on its people. Symbolically, it’s about children who are trapped in a cycle of trauma that they will never outlive. It’s terrifying to think of the thousands of children who this story now belongs to, but it is important not to look away.

A House in Jerusalem is screening as part of the 2024 Palestinian Film Festival. For tickets and more info, click here.

Donate to the UNICEF Children of Gaza Crisis Emergency Appeal here.