Omar (2013) SPOILER ALERT First off, I like the acting and the cinematography. Now on to the criticisms.
Most of this movie is the story of what happens to a guy after he and two friends go randomly shoot a police officer. That sounds like a pretty easy topic to handle, right? Meaning, if you kill a cop, you will pay for that crime. And if you just happen to kill an officer of another nation, then you are really putting yourself out there.
For example, imagine three German kids go to Greece for vacation, and while there, in cold blood, they shoot a police officer for fun. Think they are going to just walk away and have great lives? Uh, no. You commit that crime, you can expect a tragic ending of your life.
So, the moral of such a story is simple: kill people and you will pay. Kill cops and you will pay dearly. Kill foreign police and it is the same as suicide. And back in Germany, the murderer would get no sympathy from anyone...he is written off and becomes a devastating reminder to us all of how someone can ruin their life.
The reason that there is more to this film is because not everyone sees the world like I do, and not everyone agrees with what I have written above. Because in this film, the hero is one of the three murderers. Yeah, I know, how does the movie maker get away with glamorizing cold-blooded murder? By showing how a corrupt border guard abuses his power and breaks a guys nose. So for this, they believe that apparently it is okay to go shoot people.
Subsequently, in this film, we are drawn into the complex story of the main character, which understandably involves police, possible betrayal and of course, violence.
Did you know that there are at least four paradigms, or worldviews, that we as humans have?: (1) guilt/righteousness , (2) shame/honor, (3) fear/power and (4) unclean/clean. And these tend to be stronger or weaker in various regions of the world.
In the Guilt/Righteousness paradigm (of which I have been raised), you murder a cop, you should pay for your crime. In fact, in this film we are even told what the punishment will be (90 years). If this movie were like most Hollywood films, that would have been the end and we would all shake our heads in disgust that someone could be so dumb to risk your girlfriend and family for a pathetic desire to kill.
But in a Shame/Honor society (about which this film was made), it's not that easy. We are lead to believe that due to the Israeli occupation, border fences, abusive guards, etc., that killing cops is acceptable and even justified. Then, when people engage in such murder, and their lives become complicated, they jump onto a merry-go-round of revenge and violence, where "honor" seems like the only way off.
The real tension in this film is that the "hero" is constantly pulled between items #1 and #2 above. On one hand, he is trying to do right by being a good employee, faithful boyfriend and loving son. And for this, he hopes to marry and have a good life. But his girlfriend's brother is the one who leads him into the "resistance movement" in the first place. Therefore, he is forced to deal with the idea of Honor of the Palestinians.
The subtle theme of this movie is to try to show to triumph of the Shame/Honor ideology. But it fails miserably at this since the initial murder is one done in secret...because if their families were aware of it, it would have brought terrible shame on them all. And of course, in the end, the girl looses the most, even though the director tries to make us not feel so badly about her future.
(By the way, I have no personal problem with the Shame/Honor paradigm, as long as it does not involve violence.) But a better movie would have been able to explore the inherent weaknesses of both the honor/shame and guilt/righteousness paradigms. Really, they could have done so much more with this. And if the director wants to highlight his belief in the superiority of the Shame/Honor worldview, do it in way that will convince even the Guilt/Righteousness folks. (Like don't make your hero a murderer, for example.)
And sadly, the "surprise" ending is pathetic since the ambiguity leaves viewers thinking/hoping that maybe...maybe something good could come of it? However, there is nothing good that can come from that ending. The murderer walks away scot free and even gets the girl; the two friends are dead (Omar will be dead in a few seconds) and so are two innocent, law-abiding officers. And the only "good feeling" we might possibly be left with is that the two friends did not "betray" their buddy by telling the truth of who killed in the first place? That is not a compelling example of honor but rather of people who throw away their lives without even considering the feelings of their families. What a sad waste of life. No, this ending will only perpetuate the modern-day tragedy of revenge and bloodshed we call the "Middle East".
Another film that does a slightly better job of showing the absurdity of killing is "Bethlehem". Give that one a viewing and see what you think.
Most of this movie is the story of what happens to a guy after he and two friends go randomly shoot a police officer. That sounds like a pretty easy topic to handle, right? Meaning, if you kill a cop, you will pay for that crime. And if you just happen to kill an officer of another nation, then you are really putting yourself out there.
For example, imagine three German kids go to Greece for vacation, and while there, in cold blood, they shoot a police officer for fun. Think they are going to just walk away and have great lives? Uh, no. You commit that crime, you can expect a tragic ending of your life.
So, the moral of such a story is simple: kill people and you will pay. Kill cops and you will pay dearly. Kill foreign police and it is the same as suicide. And back in Germany, the murderer would get no sympathy from anyone...he is written off and becomes a devastating reminder to us all of how someone can ruin their life.
The reason that there is more to this film is because not everyone sees the world like I do, and not everyone agrees with what I have written above. Because in this film, the hero is one of the three murderers. Yeah, I know, how does the movie maker get away with glamorizing cold-blooded murder? By showing how a corrupt border guard abuses his power and breaks a guys nose. So for this, they believe that apparently it is okay to go shoot people.
Subsequently, in this film, we are drawn into the complex story of the main character, which understandably involves police, possible betrayal and of course, violence.
Did you know that there are at least four paradigms, or worldviews, that we as humans have?: (1) guilt/righteousness , (2) shame/honor, (3) fear/power and (4) unclean/clean. And these tend to be stronger or weaker in various regions of the world.
In the Guilt/Righteousness paradigm (of which I have been raised), you murder a cop, you should pay for your crime. In fact, in this film we are even told what the punishment will be (90 years). If this movie were like most Hollywood films, that would have been the end and we would all shake our heads in disgust that someone could be so dumb to risk your girlfriend and family for a pathetic desire to kill.
But in a Shame/Honor society (about which this film was made), it's not that easy. We are lead to believe that due to the Israeli occupation, border fences, abusive guards, etc., that killing cops is acceptable and even justified. Then, when people engage in such murder, and their lives become complicated, they jump onto a merry-go-round of revenge and violence, where "honor" seems like the only way off.
The real tension in this film is that the "hero" is constantly pulled between items #1 and #2 above. On one hand, he is trying to do right by being a good employee, faithful boyfriend and loving son. And for this, he hopes to marry and have a good life. But his girlfriend's brother is the one who leads him into the "resistance movement" in the first place. Therefore, he is forced to deal with the idea of Honor of the Palestinians.
The subtle theme of this movie is to try to show to triumph of the Shame/Honor ideology. But it fails miserably at this since the initial murder is one done in secret...because if their families were aware of it, it would have brought terrible shame on them all. And of course, in the end, the girl looses the most, even though the director tries to make us not feel so badly about her future.
(By the way, I have no personal problem with the Shame/Honor paradigm, as long as it does not involve violence.) But a better movie would have been able to explore the inherent weaknesses of both the honor/shame and guilt/righteousness paradigms. Really, they could have done so much more with this. And if the director wants to highlight his belief in the superiority of the Shame/Honor worldview, do it in way that will convince even the Guilt/Righteousness folks. (Like don't make your hero a murderer, for example.)
And sadly, the "surprise" ending is pathetic since the ambiguity leaves viewers thinking/hoping that maybe...maybe something good could come of it? However, there is nothing good that can come from that ending. The murderer walks away scot free and even gets the girl; the two friends are dead (Omar will be dead in a few seconds) and so are two innocent, law-abiding officers. And the only "good feeling" we might possibly be left with is that the two friends did not "betray" their buddy by telling the truth of who killed in the first place? That is not a compelling example of honor but rather of people who throw away their lives without even considering the feelings of their families. What a sad waste of life. No, this ending will only perpetuate the modern-day tragedy of revenge and bloodshed we call the "Middle East".
Another film that does a slightly better job of showing the absurdity of killing is "Bethlehem". Give that one a viewing and see what you think.