Hamsin

This shows that art can sometimes do what no amount of political commentary and reporting can accomplish: provide the understanding that comes from knowing people, rather than knowing about them. In a small farming village in Northern Israel in 1982, suspicions arise that the central government intends to expropriate the local Arab lands. The consequent bitterness and hostility destroy old Arab-Jewish friendships and loyalties. The film is particularly good at conveying the texture of Israel: the look and character of a country that combines Third World and Western ways. There are weaknesses - some clumsy exposition and a too obvious Lawrentian sexuality - but they do not seriously diminish the film's pleasures, nor its importance.