Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Sundance Films: Fix ME

Title: Fix ME
Director: Raed Andoni
Website: no individual site, but click here for Sundance page

Summary: Raed Andoni has a tension headache—one that has lasted generations and isn't going to end soon. That's because Andoni is a Palestinian living in the Ramallah, where the prospects for a stress-free life are elusive. Fix Me, Andoni's latest documentary, follows him through 20 therapy sessions as he tries to cure his unwelcome condition. The internal terrain of displacement and alienation that is revealed to his therapist and through his daily encounters with friends and family mimics the lived reality of thousands of Palestinians who are themselves displaced from their history and homeland. Ironic in tone, stylishly shot, and with a haunting score, Fix Me deftly plays with the concept of detachment from every angle. In Andoni’s hands, life under occupation is rendered with sly humor and an unexpectedly light touch that culminates in a poignant statement about the universal longing for a way back home (Sundance).

Thoughts: It seems like for decades Palestinians and their supporters have been trying in vain to reach out to mainstream foreigners so they understand the plight they endure on a daily basis. But it seems people have turned a deaf ear to it all. They've heard the emotional pleas, the reasoned arguments from politicians and still foreign support remains minimal. I think it is understanding this environment that makes Raed Andoni's film so effective. There is no trailer and very little information about the film at the moment, but turning the Palestinian struggle into a backdrop for personal pain and an inward journey could be just what is needed to help people listen. This could be a sleeper hit, so stay tuned.

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