"When the abnormality of barriers and occupation becomes an everyday reality, love and marriage turn into fiction."
The tagline of Rana's Wedding, by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, is an eerie window into the story of Rana, a young Arab woman living in occupied Jerusalem, who has ten hours to find her lover and marry him. Without success, she faces her father's demands: marry a chosen suitor from a list, or move with him to Egypt.
There were a number of elements in this film that I found particularly intriguing, first and foremost, the use of space. The day in Jerusalem and occupied Ramallah finds Rana in a panic, firstly she cannot find her lover, Khalil, and then when they face difficulties overcoming the physical obstacles in order to perform their wedding ceremony. In the first part of the film, Rana wanders aimlessly through the old city of Jerusalem. The walls of the old city act as a maze, confusing her both physically and emotionally.
Ever-present in the film are Israeli soldiers, always armed and often pointing their guns at Rana. In one scene toward the end of the film, Rana confesses to her friend how afraid she is, repeating it over and over again. Upon rising from the couch, she looks out the window to see a front of armed soldiers, blocking the demolition of a home. This lack of control that Rana holds over her surroundings speaks volumes about the message Abu-Assad is trying to convey.
Rana's Wedding is a beautiful and troubling film because it views very much like real life. The commentary on the helplessness that many Arab Palestinians, living both in and outside of Jerusalem, face, it stark and honest. A day in Rana's life, a day in her Jerusalem, may be just "another day", but for the viewers it is a window into a different and very difficult world.
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