Palestinians Maha Al-Hajj, Ashraf Farah and Amer Hlehel in Cannes (Patricia de Mello Moreira/AFP)
After a notable first novelist, Personal Matters (2016), it was shown for the first time internationally on the Un Certain Regard program, at the 69th edition (11-22 May 2016) ofCannes International Film FestivalThe Palestinian director Maha Al-Hajj (1970) returned to the same program at the 75th session (17-28 May 2022) of the Cannes Film Festival, with her second feature film,Mediterranean fever“.
In the script (Maha Al-Haj) written with craftsmanship and honesty (Best Screenplay Award in “A Look 2022), with vivid, convincing and carefully drawn characters, plot threads that pay attention to minute details, and a general idea that is intelligently not devoid of Palestinian political concern, without direct discussion Nor from philosophical dimensions with a human-psychological depth. First, Maha Al-Hajj skillfully formulated her ideas, and succeeded in breaking into the world of men, proposing the nature of friendship between them, and how weakness, fragility and imbalance are among the components of the masculine world, in a general framework that explores the meaning of life, the difficulties of existence and adaptation. with it, or reject it. And all this without additions, flabbiness, or weakness, in the various technical aspects, in order to consolidate her strong presence as a director, the owner of an honest and diversified project, an interesting vision, and a distinguished artistic orientation.
In “Mediterranean Fever”, Al-Hajj presents a black comedy film, full of surprises and coups, changing attitudes, changing psychology, and the reactions of the characters, in interesting threads that are difficult to predict in advance, or in which direction they will develop and end. There is a noticeable work in the dialogue, which is very suitable for each character, and is almost never devoid of wit and comedy, despite the darkness of the subject, which contributed to creating vitality and flow, which was increased by the good choice of actors, and the good management of them.
The events of “Mediterranean Fever” take place in Haifa, with Walid (Amer Hlehel), a middle-aged novelist who has not yet written his first novel, but he tries, despite his apparent stumble for several reasons, most of which are not clear. Walid feels that he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and that he is in a big prison (the Palestinian prison). For two years, he has been suffering from severe depression, which appears to be chronic. He does not attend treatment sessions regularly, and refuses to take the medication given to him by his psychiatrist, due to his firm feeling of uselessness.
Despite this, he is an exemplary father in his home. He takes care of the cleanliness of the house, takes care of cooking, and takes his two children to school. Things his wife is busy with, because of her difficult work as a nurse in a large hospital. In short, he is a good and calm man, loves his wife and their two children, and has a good relationship with his parents, and there is nothing to suggest strangeness, extremism or violence in his life behavior, except for his constant watching of internal Palestinian news, which causes sadness and depression, and his insistence on encouraging his two children to speak Arabic, not Hebrew. , and his argument with others regarding the Palestinian identity.
His opposite, a new neighbor named Jalal (Ashraf Farah), has recently moved into the apartment across from his. Not interested in the Palestinian reality. He loves fun, and embraces indifference. Despite Walid’s reluctance and reservations, a close friendship gradually develops between them, although the difference in their worlds is clear, as Jalal, the construction worker, ostensibly belongs to the world of semi-organized crime, meaning he is a source of danger. Something that attracts Walid to him as soon as he discovers it, rather than drives him away. His pretext lies in his desire to write a novel about the world of crime and criminals, and the glory of a certain good for him in this.
As the friendship between them develops, Jalal’s fragile human nature becomes more and more clear. Away from his criminal behavior and his hidden world, and from his double life, his devotion to his new friend Walid, and his fear for him and his life, and his crisis situation. Gradually, Jalal realizes that Walid’s story is constantly changing, and that writing the novel is an excuse for something bigger and deeper that Walid is desperately seeking. Attempts fail. However, after Jalal was subjected to strong financial pressures, and the necessity of arranging a large sum as soon as possible, and Walid discovering that he is a professional hunting wild boars, and that he excels in the use of hunting rifles, he confronts him with his request, and insists on him to implement it, as a favor from a friend to a friend, he no longer wants to life.
The title of the film, “Mediterranean Fever,” refers to a disease that the doctor says the youngest son of Jalal has. When he asked her what this fever was, she replied by saying that it is inherited, limited to the region in which they live, ie the Middle East. The film does not care about the son’s physical illness. Mediterranean fever is, in general, another reference to the political, social and psychological burden of being a Palestinian living in Haifa in particular, and the Middle East in general.