AJFF: ‘Nadia’ Personalizes Both Sides of Conflict
By Sarah Moosazadeh / sarah@atljewishtimes.com
“A.K.A. Nadia” explores the depth of human emotion and one woman’s will to survive.
After eloping with a PLO activist to live in England, Nadia quickly discovers that life is not what it appears to be.
A twist in the narrative leaves Nadia desperate to find her way back home to Jerusalem through any means necessary. Forged documents provide Nadia a new identity as an Israeli Jew named Maya, but can she make amends with the Palestinian family she left behind?
Twenty years after returning to Israel, Nadia has used her false identity to start a new marriage and raise two children with a Jewish man in East Jerusalem. But will her buried secrets threaten the life she has created for herself and her family? How much is she willing to risk after a chance encounter with an old love jeopardizes everything she holds dear?
As Israelis and Palestinians struggle over Israel’s right to exist, Nadia finds herself fighting her own inner battles and caught between two worlds. Political views, cultures and religious beliefs are put to the test when Nadia’s daughter becomes deeply involved in Israeli and Arab entanglements.
Audience members will think and talk about “A.K.A. Nadia” long after the movie is over. The narrative confronts the tragedy of a love lost and found, the importance of trust, and the ties that bind. Tensions between Jews and Arabs are exposed as each side strives to live in the other’s world.
The winner of the Israeli Critics’ Forum Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and a nominee for five Israeli Academy Awards, “A.K.A. Nadia” unmasks the tensions that reverberate across present-day Israel. Viewers ride an emotional roller coaster through time, poignant heartbreak and resentment.
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