11/12/2023 - Farah Nabulsi’s strong feature debut sheds light on the political situation in Palestine, with the recent tragic events in the country imbuing it with a horrific context

Farah Nabulsi, who was nominated for an Oscar for her short The Present, makes her feature debut with The Teacher, a family drama-thriller set in Palestine. The film premiered at Toronto in September and has now won the Award for Best Actor and the Jury Prize at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, which wrapped on 9 December (see the news).

It’s impossible not to think how, in the time that has elapsed between these two festivals, the context has changed so dramatically for a film that revolves around the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, dubbed by the lead characters “the settlers”. The situation presented by Nabulsi, who also penned the script, is that of a life spent sitting on a ticking time bomb, which has now detonated. The title character, Basem (a mesmerising performance by Saleh Bakri), is a secondary-school English teacher and a mentor for teenage boys, while his own family life disintegrates. Adam (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) is one of his favourite students; he is a quiet, hardworking boy, while his brother Yusuf (Mahmood Bakri) is less diligent, and in fact has just been released from prison, after being convicted for taking part in an anti-Israeli protest.

The future is uncertain for the boys, who one day observe their home being demolished as part of the official resettlement activities. At the same time, an affluent US lawyer is looking for his son, an Israeli soldier who is being held by a Palestinian resistance group. He has support from the media and the officials, while the Palestinian boys and men have to rely solely on themselves and each other, and suffer injustice, as shown by Nabulsi. There is also a British volunteer, Lisa (Imogen Poots), trying to help Basem and Adam, while becoming emotionally invested in both of them.

The story is focused on Basem and Adam, whose lives are defined by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It’s driven by both anger and a sense of loss. Nabulsi depicts both the systemic and the individual abuse of power that they have fallen victim to, and leaves the characters and the audience with no hope that things will change. This part of the film is by far the strongest and has echoes of a Shakespearean tragedy, with its feeling of imminent doom. It works very well in rousing anger and anguish; however, it’s worth remembering that it presents only one side of the conflict.

The staggering performance by Saleh Bakri, and his determination, inner strength and deep compassion for Adam, is definitely the driving force behind The Teacher. There are parts of the story that are problematic – for example, when Nabulsi switches the focus to Lisa’s involvement with Basem, it feels like getting sucked into quicksand. The conversations between the two characters feel awkward, and at times, they can also be illogical and inadvertently comical.

Overall, The Teacher is a strong political film that loses its way when it becomes personal. Apparently love and anger don’t blend well together.

The Teacher is a co-production between the UK, Palestine and Qatar. It was produced by Cocoon Films, Native Liberty Productions and Philistine Films. Goodfellas holds the international rights.