Review of Tel Aviv on Fire

Feels like an honest, but funny, take on the Arab/Israeli conflict--which I never thought I would see. A Palestinian ordinary-Yusef, Salam, starts as a go-fer at a "explosive" soap opera filmed in Ramallah (film in-joke), and ends up as screenwriter and creative force on the show, causing both mayhem and closure for the surrounding people: the talented but egotistical diva; the Israeli captain of the West Bank checkpoint Salam has to travel through twice daily; the producers of the soap opera; the girl Salam hopes to woo and win; the family of the Israeli captain. The Israeli government helped produce this film, but allowed a realistic look at the indignities a Palestinian might undergo in Israel--modern-day, or back when this film is set, both before and after the Six-Day War. The only flaw, in my opinion, is the portrayal of Salam. He is wooden and inexpressive. Yes, he's handsome; yes, he seems charismatic; but he rarely smiles, and he speaks in a monotone. The fact that I couldn't stop laughing, despite the boring protagonist, is proof that this film is funny.