It’s Christmastime in Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine. Musa Hadid, the city’s well-liked mayor, holds daily meetings about holiday celebrations and the city’s rebranding initiatives. He visits schools and neighborhoods, and warmly greets constituents who insist that he join them for a meal. Hadid’s life and the beautiful city he loves appear mundane, even boring. That is until director David Osit’s camera widens its view, and we are presented with the realities of Ramallah. It is an occupied city, and though its citizens do their best to maintain normalcy, violence creeps ever closer.
For two years Osit keeps his camera trained on Mayor Hadid and his efforts, which range from rechristening a fountain in front of city hall to working tirelessly on behalf of Israeli-occupied Palestine. Hadid is an immensely warm person who gives equal attention to every concern that comes across his desk with a soft-spoken resolve. He seems to truly care for his people without consideration for personal gain or self-enrichment – a novel sentiment for a modern politician, especially considering his global peers and the urgency of his mission.
At first glance, Hadid’s grassroots approach to governing seems quaint, if not ignorant. We see him struggle with modern technology, fail to grasp concepts of branding and marketing, and quietly connect with citizens all over Ramallah. But as news comes that the American president plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the gears in his head clearly begin to move and he is quick to realize that this is very bad news for Ramallah and greater Palestine. It becomes clear that Hadid possesses much more acumen than he lets on as he begins a worldwide push to tell the stories of his people.
However, Hadid’s approach is not hawkish or brash. Rather than resorting to shock or fear, the Mayor proves adept at appealing to humanism. His contemplative demeanor could be considered shy, but as he spreads the word about the occupation and the health and humanitarian problems it causes – not to mention the cultural and religious implications – Hadid comes out of his shell while remaining thoughtful and polite.
Contrasting all this is the very real threat of violence that exists on the outskirts of the city. Ramallah’s heart looks like any other prosperous downtown with its shops, restaurants, and bustling activity, but out on the edges – where the fences are – it’s a different world. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is decades-long and complicated, and I make no pretense to understanding it in a way that perhaps we all should, but the footage Osit captures of just one incident – in a long history of incidents – is nothing short of breathtaking.
There’s fear and chaos everywhere, yet those involved hardly seem surprised – as if it were just a matter of time before the animosity between the occupied and their occupiers came to a head. When conflict arrives, quite literally, on Mayor Hadid’s doorstep, he and his staff take it all in with a nearly detached calm. They do what they can to assist, and then the next day the community cleans up the mess left by property damage and tear gas canisters. It is clear he is deeply troubled by what he has witnessed, but his grounded nature prevails, and he gets back to the business of governing his city and helping wherever he can. For Mayor Hadid and the city of Ramallah, life, like the struggle at large, must go on.
VOD streaming available December 2, 2020.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.