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Yadon Ilaheyya (Divine Intervention) (Chronicle of Love and Pain) (2002)

tomatometer

81

Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 68
Fresh: 55 | Rotten: 13

Suleiman utilizes absurdist humor to craft a provocative, original film.

95

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 19
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 1

Suleiman utilizes absurdist humor to craft a provocative, original film.

audience

75

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 2,158

My Rating

Movie Info

Director Elia Suleiman uses a mixture of romantic comedy and quirky humor to shed light on the problems of Palestinians in Yadon Ilaheyya (Divine Intervention). E.S. (Suleiman and his girlfriend Manal Khader), because they live in separate cities, must meet near an Israeli checkpoint. The film is little more than a series of usually comic but occasionally poignant scenes in which Suleiman and others must confront any number of Israeli nemeses. Suleiman's second film, Divine Interventions, was

Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.

Comedy

Elia Suleiman

Jul 12, 2005

Avatar Films Domestic Theatric

All Critics (76) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (13) | DVD (5)

The visual puns, sight gags and the little parables told by the few speaking characters are rarely laugh-out-loud funny. But they provoke thought, debate and diverse interpretations.

June 20, 2003 Comment
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It makes for an intriguing example of how to use art, rather than bombs, to make a sustained political point.

May 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | Comment
Dallas Morning News
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Simmering, sharply observed work.

April 25, 2003 Full Review Source: Boston Globe | Comment
Boston Globe
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Suleiman's argument seems to be that the situation between Palestinians and Israelis has settled into an hopeless stalemate, in which everyday life incorporates elements of paranoia, resentment and craziness.

April 25, 2003 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A film whose eerie blend of deadpan wit and inner angst upset all your expectations.

April 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | Comment
Chicago Tribune
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It succeeds because Suleiman applies the same kind of minimalism and silent comedy that made Tati's films ... always so winning.

April 11, 2003 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | Comment
Sacramento Bee
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Elia Suleiman is a talented man who made a striking film to voice the sorrows of his people and there are sorrows to be lamented, but his film is drawn from an ugliness and intellectual dishonesty that besmirches any lesson that could possibly be extracte

August 17, 2006 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | Comment
Bangitout.com

A mordantly amusing black comedy about life among the Arab citizens of Israel.

September 8, 2005 Full Review Source: All Movie Guide | Comment
All Movie Guide

Suleiman's film is uniquely engaging, a visual feast-though how emotionally or intellectually satisfying it is will depend on how each viewer responds to the images.

August 27, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Life in the Arab-Israeli region has a random and arbitrary unintelligibility, if this surreal stylization validly reflects it. But, validity comes into question.

August 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | Comment
Cinema Signals

This film has the rare opportunity to change people's minds about the world. I can think of no higher praise for art.

August 3, 2005 Comment

...a non-narrative film that mixes agitprop with Pythonesque silliness and an almost stately, rueful kind of slapstick that recalls Buster Keaton in tone if not physicality.

January 17, 2005 Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Comment
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

El director hilvana sensaciones, alegorías, representaciones más bien absurdas, e inspiradas en el cine mudo o la comedia física de Buster Keaton o Jacques Tati.

November 3, 2003 Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | Comment
Uruguay Total

Suleiman works in slow, poetic scenes that build to hilarious climaxes.

October 15, 2003 Full Review Source: About.com | Comment
About.com

Provocative yet self-reflective, hilarious yet heartbreaking chronicle of love and pain.

August 28, 2003 Comment
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A hard film to get, but an enjoyable one to watch.

August 27, 2003 Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | Comment (1)
EricDSnider.com

As the film progresses, it becomes considerably more focused . . . even though it doesn't always make sense.

August 15, 2003 Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | Comment
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Some of Suleiman's symbols are maddeningly obtuse, while others -- like the final shot of a pressure cooker -- are ridiculously obvious.

August 15, 2003 Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | Comment
Salt Lake Tribune

From the first scenes -- a sorry-looking Santa huffing and puffing his way up a hill to flee a gang of Palestinian youths -- Divine Intervention intercedes to offer the most unexpected of film experiences.

June 26, 2003 Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Comment
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Elusive but fascinating.

June 13, 2003 Full Review Source: Oregonian | Comment
Oregonian

A brilliant comic cry of pain, a surrealistically piercing protest at what its maker sees as brutal oppression and chooses to attack with satire rather than rocks or bombs.

June 5, 2003 Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | Comment
One Guy's Opinion
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Yadon Ilaheyya (Divine Intervention) (Chronicle of Love and Pain)

Art drenched in mythological symbols,yes?Most certainly,and poesie is included on the humanitarian cycle.Suleiman inherits the Tati syndrome and with a few Keaton persona strife,the facial expression reflects the round-up of his marvelous essence.Divine Intervention is a groundbreaking achievement,Kaurismaki must be

August 27, 2008
jimbotender
Dimitris Springer

Super Reviewer

Very strange film! It could be consider a drama because of the Palestine and Israel conflict. But could be seen as a comedy because of some very unexpected moments. The love story really makes you think about what real love is. Overall, it is very original and bold!

April 16, 2007
shannylee38
Linda K. T.

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • Divine Intervention (Yadon Ilaheyya) (DE)
  • Divine Intervention (UK)
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