The mist blanketing a small village’s fields sets the tone in this moody poetic film. At his struggling farm in the occupied Golan Heights, Adnan, an unlicensed doctor, is going through an existential crisis. His relationship with his father is fractured, and his relationship with his wife and young daughter is distant and the area is occupied by Israeli soldiers. Consumed by his feelings of failures and longing he isolates himself on his farm caring for his weakened animals, and has earned a reputation for his drinking. Adnan’s life takes another unlucky turn when he encounters a man wounded in the war in Syria. Overturning all community expectations in times of war and national crisis, he ventures forth to meet his newly found destiny.
The Stranger, director Ameer Fakher Eldin’s debut feature film, is the first film of a trilogy. This haunting film has drawn rave reviews at international festivals and was Palestine’s 2022 Oscar submission for the foreign film category. Conversation with director Ameer Fakher Eldin follows the screening.