West Bank Story (2005)

(Image from IMDB)

West Bank Story (2005)

'West Bank Story' is a charming and quite clever musical short film that spoofs West Side Story, only set in the West Bank. It tell of how a Palestinian woman, Fatima (Noureen DeWulf), who works in a Palestinian fast food falafel restaurant falls in love with David (Ben Newmark), an Israeli soldier stationed in the West Bank. Naturally the animosity between the Palestinians and the Israelis, here symbolized by the competition and resentment that exists between Fatima's restaurant and a competing Israeli restaurant next door, keeps the two apart. At a mere 21 minutes the film surprisingly crams in quite a bit - including a few musical numbers - while acting as a light hearted satire of the irrational unwillingness of the two sides to resolve differences through dialogue and compromise. The film is very slick and a touch unsubtle, but it's meant to be an overt lighthearted comedy, so I can't really hold that against it. Overall it's quite good and worth the small investment in time.