A father, his family, a wall. It’s a theme, an image we think of often these days, particularly when speaking of certain American policies and our current US President. But where is another part of the world in which such a policy has been tried and tested, and to be expected of course, failed miserably on a human scale? Palestine, or Israel if you wish to call it with its post-1948 name. A land belonging to some and claimed by many.

In Ameen Nayfeh’s quiet masterpiece ‘200 Meters’, which premiered as part of the Giornate degli Autori line-up in Venice this year, Palestinian superstar Ali Suliman plays Mustafa, a loving husband and doting father. It’s a part that suits him well, complete with what acting teacher extraordinaire Sanford Meisner would call a physical handicap, in the form of lower back pain. Suliman is kind, strong, handsome and non-judgmental in real life, so the role of Mustafa fits him to a T. He and his mom live on the side of the wall that separates some of the Palestinian territories from the Israeli side.

Salwa, his wife, instead lives across the way with the couple’s children, over the wall, on the Israeli side, in a city that is mostly Palestinian. If that makes little sense, well, you haven’t been to Nazareth. Salwa travels to Mustafa and brings the children often, they are good together these two, and I cherished watching a couple on screen devoid of marital issues. Every night, the father talks on the phone with the kids, to “kiss” them goodnight over the airwaves, and they turn on and off the lights on each side to show their presence. To reinforce their palpable love. It’s a charming ploy, one that finally brought me to tears in the last minutes of the film. But you’ll never hear the reason why from me!

If you’ve watched a Palestinian film before, and I hope you have as it currently is the most creatively vibrant cinema out of the Region, you know that things are never simple for a Palestinian man. Going to work, seeing their loved ones, traveling across their own country is always a feat of heroic proportions. In Mustafa’s case, when a family emergency comes into play, he is left struggling to represent the man of the family.

The journey that follows is part road trip, part reconciliation with neighbors and borders and part wonderful proof that not all those who are wronged are angels while those who stand on the wrong side of history are bad people. Only one Palestinian filmmaker before Nayfeh has been so fair in every way towards his own people, showcasing both their good and bad qualities — and that’s Elia Suleiman. I don’t make the comparison lightly with the older Palestinian filmmaker as I have always found his films sheer genius. But Nayfeh, at his feature debut, wears those big shoes quite comfortably and I know I’ll get to watch more great work of his in the years to come!

Suliman, back to the actor here, naturally transitions from simple father and husband, to a superhero of sorts to get to his family. He holds things together when it all starts to unravel and speaks with the voice of reason when the occasion requires it. He is driven by an inner strength that is simply unimaginable, and as the daughter of a father who lacked any kind of courage, I felt vulnerable and teary-eyed in the presence of Mustafa. Of course, Mustafa played by Suliman was a complete casting coup by Nayfeh, as I cannot think of another actor who could carry that part off, and make him so humanly heroic. If you want to know more about this wonderful actor, check out an older interview I did with him, or a short selfie video where I ask him three questions here.

While Suliman is surrounded by a glowing cast of great actors who inhabit their characters perfectly, this really is a one-man tour de force for the actor. Ultimately, Nayfeh’s genius lies in this extraordinary casting choice but also in his ability to put himself inside the story — thus avoiding cliches and common-place choices. ‘200 Meters’ is an extraordinary slice of life look into the everyday war-like existence of each and all Palestinians.

Final word? I would urge everyone who has ever wondered about the value of a wall to watch ‘200 Meters’ to understand that a structure isn’t just made of cement and blocks, but built on top of the souls of those who need to pass through it each day, day in and day out, to survive. And those souls are on all our collective karma — no matter where in the world we happen to live.