By Eva Johnson, Evian Medina, and Kiel Peterson
Throughout the film Rana’s Wedding (2002), the oppression of Palestinians through Israeli forces is observed indirectly through civilian response to military action. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not the focal point of the film, however the plot of the film is heavily influenced by the conflict. In Rana’s Wedding, Palestinian resistance is used against the systematic oppression and inhumanity of Israelis to prove that the Palestinians will not give up the conflict to brute force.
The oppression of the Palestinians is shown by the hovering of the Israeli soldiers throughout Jerusalem in the movie. Their consistent presence is oppressive. In one scene in particular, Rana is frustrated about her boyfriend Kahlil not answering her phone. Out of sheer frustration, Rana nearly smashes her phone on the ground. When she does so, a group of Israeli soldiers point their guns at Rana, thinking that her phone was a weapon. This scene in particular demonstrates that the expression of emotion is limited by the fear of persecution. Instead of portraying the soldiers with motivations and reasons for defending the claim to the land, they are presented as static oppressive figures (Mock 1251, Khatib, 127 ). Rana’s fear is one that can then be expressed across the country as individual Palestinians experience the whole of the Israeli occupants. The movie was produced in 2002, which is during the time of the second intifada, which was known as a very tense time between the Israelis and the Palestinians (Gertz and Nurith, 40). As the story of the movie falls within the time frame of the second intifada, the historical allusion of the intifada would be beneficial in further illustrating the severity of the oppression, thus opening a window of cinematic expression of the intifada itself. While the military presence in the city represents oppressive force, the later scenes demonstrate a ferocious need to fight.
The indomitable spirit of the Palestinian resistance is carried on later in the film through an indirect response to a pointed action. In this scene, Rana looks out the window of a friend’s home to a bulldozer guarded by Israeli soldiers. There is no interaction between herself and the soldiers. She says “They’re demolishing a house on the day I want to build one,” to which her friend responds, “Don’t worry. We’ll rebuild it tomorrow” (Rana’s Wedding). There is importance in her confidence. By prefacing the statement with “don’t worry,” she suggests that there is a precedent for this action. This is supported by an article in the Middle East Research and Information Project published in 1976. The article states that resistance is strong enough in Palestine to force the Israeli government to turn to military force for enforcement (“Palestinian”). This fact, combined with the support of the movie scene, suggests a strong remaining population that is both ready to fight and motivated to continue. Between Rana and her friend, this statement presented like a vow is a powerful example of the “hope and resilience” present in Palestinian cinema as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Khatib 126). Even in the face of a literal destruction of the homeland, the characters promise to resist.
Rana’s Wedding uses resistance to fight and denounce military oppression, brute force and as a torch to symbolize that Palestinians will not give up. The film sheds a light on the atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers and delivers an inspirational messages to the Palestinian people that the resistance will never end. The movie encourages the Palestinian people to fight oppression in any way possible like throwing rocks, expressing their thoughts, emotions and most importantly by never losing sight of their goal. As long as there is hope, the cause will not be lost.
Works Cited
Gertz, Nurith, and George Khleifi. Palestinian cinema: landscape, trauma and
memory. Bloomington: Indiana U Press, 2008.
Khatib, Lina. Filming the Modern Middle East: Politics in the Cinemas of
Hollywood and the Arab World. London, US: I.B.Tauris, 2006. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 18 February 2017.
Mock, S., Obeidi, A., & Zeleznikow, J. (2014). A brief outline of the Israel-
Palestinian conflict. Group Decision and Negotiation, 23(6), 1245-1262.
“Palestinian Resistance Threatens Israeli Occupation.” MERIP Reports, no. 46,
1976, pp. 18–19.
Rana’s Wedding. Dir. Hany Abu-Assad. Perf. Clara Khoury and Khalifa Natour. Bero
Beyer, 2003. DVD.
Through an Arabic Lens: the Intersection of Film and Culture 
As someone who has not seen the movie I found that I was able to follow what had happened. It really made me to want to watch it actually. The way you talked about their spirit and their will to continue fighting despite the odds was really inspiring. Especially when you are talking about Rana and her friend discussing the house, their resilience reflected in your writing was well displayed.
Though I have never seen this movie, I believe you captured the tone perfectly. I enjoyed how you highlighted that the movie chose to make the Palestinian-Israeli conflict take a back seat, yet shows the oppression in day to day circumstances. I also loved how you showed that movie portrays the oppression of the Palestinian people in different ways, and how their unconquerable spirit will allow them to succeed and survive.
Although I have not personally had the chance to watch this film, through your description it reminded me of the movie Lion of the Dessert because you talk about the Palestinian people not giving in and fighting oppression. The scene that mainly reminded me of this was the final scene where even when their leader was hung, it seemed as if the spirit of the people grew stronger and more willing to continue fighting.
krisia lazo
kl16c@my.fsu.edu
This movie sounds very good and very passionate. I think this theme of constant oppression is portrayed in many Palestinian films. I am curious though; Does this film portray more defeat of hope for liberation? I am interested to see the movie and find out more about the tone and whether it is an overall happy film or a sadder one.
Your article on the film is articulated very well and it has taught me a lot about a movie I have not seen before. You did well at deciphering what the director was trying to portray in the background of the movie because I could imagine exactly what the scenes you described looked like and the feelings they brought on. I feel like I watched the movie.
This movie is another great representation of Palestinian resistance. The scene that impacted me the most when I watched the film was the scene where Rana screams because her future husband does not answer his cellphone and all Israeli soldiers points their guns at her as if she was a threat. I think this scene portrays the few liberties Palestinians still have. Rana screamed and shook her hands up and down in frustration and there was nothing the Israeli soldiers could do to stop it.
Your description of the characters makes me want to watch the film. I love how you talk about the strength beneath their words and the confidence that the characters have about taking back their country. Such strong emotions that you talked about makes me realize how powerful this film must be.
Very well written blog on a movie that I personally have not seen. I found it interesting that this movie was based on female power rather than male power like most of the other movies shown. The paragraph that analyzes the scene where Israeli soldiers were bulldozing a house down, was a perfect way to show how women are ready to fight just like men are.
After performing my project on Palestine I really like how the director uses the film to fight military oppression. Oppression on Palestine by military is intense and unfair. I think more directors need to follow this trend and use films as a protest against these actions by the military. I enjoyed your analysis on the different aspects of military oppression and makes me want to view the film for myself.
I myself have never seen this movie but your description and analysis of it taught me quite a lot about it without even having to see it. I like how well you described certain scenes and characters, it helped add to my understanding. It has made me interested and intrigued in watching the film one day.
Although I have not watched this film, I still believe you captured the essence of it perfectly. I admired how you explained the emotional aspect of this conflict because it made me think about how the Palestinian people must really feel. Your description of the scene with Rana and her phone displayed the emotion of frustration the people have and for me that was extremely eye opening.
It is interesting that there are so many movies about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that have to do with weddings. Although this movie seems different from Wedding in Galilee the grievances seem to be similar.
Although I have not seen this film, I have a strong grasp as to what message it is sending, thanks to your article. I like that you used a scene about Rana’s dreams to show the grievances that she feels over something that she does not have a direct connection to. Overall, your post sparked an interest for me to watch the film.