The Time that Remains (2009)

Director:

Elia Suleiman

Writer:

Elia Suleiman (writer)

Release Date:

12 August 2009 (France)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

An examination of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 through to the present day. |

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ali Suliman	...	Eliza's Boyfriend
Elia Suleiman	...	ES
Saleh Bakri	...	Fuad
Lotuf Neusser	...	Abu Elias
Avi Kleinberger	...	Government Official
Menashe Noy	...	Taxi Driver
Amer Hlehel	...	Anis
Nati Ravitz	...	IDF Commander
Samar Tanus	...	Mother
Ehab Assal	...	Man With Cell Phone / Tank
Baher Agbariya	...	Iraqi soldier
Zuhair Abu Hanna	...	ES Child
Ayman Espanioli	...	ES (Teenager)
George Khleifi	...	Mayor
Doraid Liddawi	...	Ramalla IDF officer
Alex Bakri	...	Man Who Shoots Himself
Yasmine Haj	...	Nadia
Isabelle Ramadan	...	Aunt Olga
Daniel Bronfman	...	Policeman at bridge
Leila Muammar	...	Thuraya
Alon Leshem	...	IDF Officer
Shafika Bajjali	...	Mother (80)
Lior Shemesh	...	Police Officer
Ziyad Bakri	...	Jamal
Nina Jarjoura	...	Rose
Yaniv Biton	...	Haganah Soldier
Tareq Qobti	...	Neighbor

Directed by
Elia Suleiman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Elia Suleiman		writer

Produced by
Joslyn Barnes	....	associate producer
Hani Farsi	....	executive producer
Michael Gentile	....	producer
Danny Glover	....	associate producer
Lauraine Heftler	....	supervising producer
Avi Kleinberger	....	co-producer
Maya Sanbar	....	associate producer
Elia Suleiman	....	producer

Cinematography by
Marc-André Batigne

Film Editing by
Véronique Lange

Casting by
Juna Suleiman

Production Design by
Sharif Waked

Set Decoration by
Maha Assal

Costume Design by
Judy Shrewsbury

Production Management
Ehab Assal	....	production manager
Varujan Gumusel	....	post-production manager
Isabelle Morax	....	post-production supervisor
Jacques Royer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kira Bik	....	second assistant director
Jerome Borenstein	....	first assistant director
Robyn Glaser	....	second assistant director
Avichai Henig	....	first assistant director
Enas I. Muthaffar	....	first assistant director: Ramallah

Art Department
Maha Assal	....	set dresser
Nael Kanj	....	property master

Sound Department
Rainier Buidin	....	assistant sound
Jon Goc	....	assistant sound editor (as Jonathan Goc)
Vincent Guillon	....	sound editor
Sébastien Jeannot	....	dialogue editor
Gwennolé Le Borgne	....	sound editor
Didier Lesage	....	sound re-recording mixer
Pierre Mertens	....	sound mixer
Billy Miquel	....	boom operator
Christian Monheim	....	sound
Michel Monier	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Mélanie Mourey	....	foley editor
Pierre Picq	....	boom operator
Stephane Rabeau	....	additional sound editor
Matthieu Sibony	....	supervising sound editor
Eric Tisserand	....	sound re-recording mixer
Seppe van Groeningen	....	boom operator
Alexandre Widmer	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Pini Klavir	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Annie Dautane	....	visual effects producer
Maxim Doucet	....	systems engineer
François Dumoulin	....	flame artist
Aurélien Grand	....	retouch and restoration
Nicolas Lacroix	....	visual effects coordinator
Elodie Ly Tri	....	retouch and restoration
Fredrik Monteil	....	digital compositor
Eve Ramboz	....	visual effects supervisor
Adrien Servadio	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ehab Assal	....	camera operator
Raed Bashir	....	best boy electric
Raed Bashir	....	electrician
Shimon Belfer	....	best boy
Shimon Belfer	....	rigging gaffer
Jekie Boaz	....	grip
Mordi Boaz	....	key grip
George Dabas	....	video assist
Noam Eisenberg	....	key grip
Shai Jajo	....	electrician
Daniel Kaluzshky	....	best boy grip
Justine Legros	....	second assistant camera
Yana Mitnik	....	electrician
Ferencz Radnai	....	gaffer
David Rudoy	....	second assistant camera
Eric Sicot	....	first assistant camera
Mario Zugair	....	electrician

Animation Department
Dani Rosen	....	animation supervisor

Casting Department
Salim Abu Jabal	....	extras casting
Leila Muammar	....	casting coordinator
Najwa Mubarki	....	casting
Juna Suleiman	....	casting

Editorial Department
Chrystel Alépée	....	assistant editor
Charlotte Lamy Le Loet	....	color timer
Natacha Louis	....	colorist
Mélanie Mourey	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Matthieu Sibony	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Georgina Asfour	....	script supervisor
Frederik Bois	....	title designer
Thierry Desjours	....	financial manager
Nathalie Geoffroy	....	production assistant
Amer Hlehel	....	creative assistant director
Pierre Selinger	....	production attorney
Géraldine Toitot	....	production administrator

Thanks
Henri Deneubourg	....	thanks
Carole Zabar	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Film, The (producer)
• Nazira Films (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Artemis Films (co-production)
• Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) (co-production)
• BIM Distribuzione (co-production)
• Belgacom TV (co-production) (as Belgacom)
• Corniche Pictures (in association with)
• MBC Group (participation)
• France 3 (FR 3) (participation)
• Canal+ (participation)
• TPS Star (participation)
• Eurimages (support)
• Tax Shelter ING Invest de Tax Shelter Productions (support)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (support)

Distributors

• Le Pacte (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2009) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2010) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2010) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore (2010) (Italy) (DVD)
• Imovision (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Spentzos Films (2009) (Greece) (all media)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2010) (Portugal) (all media)

Special Effects

• La Maison

Also Known As:

"Il tempo che ci rimane" - Italy
"Le temps qu'il reste" - France
"El tiempo que queda" - Argentina (festival title)
"Ha-zman she'notar" - Israel (Hebrew title)
"O Tempo Que Resta" - Portugal
"O hronos pou apomenei" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"O que Resta do Tempo" - Brazil

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK | Italy | Belgium | France

Language:

Arabic | Hebrew | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company:

Film, The

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pisogyrismata (2010)

Coping with the irreversible, the cultural aftermath of the creation of Israel

The Time That Remains starts in 1948 in Palestine with the invasion by the Israeli armed forces. This event casts a long shadow over the entire movie. It's a Palestinian account, occasionally a very personal account, of how life has continued since then. The movie is contending that in cultural terms there's been a huge degradation, and people have lived in stasis, their lives not moving forward at all.

The movie is a farce which reminds me of the Georgian cinematic tradition of military/political farces such as Brigands Chapter VII from Otar Iosseliani and Repentance from Tenghiz Abuladze. It's very funny at times, and very deadpan, but at others it's very poignant. For example there is literally a tug'o'war in a hospital corridor (shot from outside the building - a neutral absurd position typical of this film) between policemen and doctors concerning a wounded man on a gurney, who presumably is wanted for "questioning".

It's an autobiographical film which is shot on a human level and is therefore a lot more palatable than other politically motivated movies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's a film that takes place over many years, culminating in the present day. Over the period there's a decline in health of the characters shown, and also in the cultural health, the young consume only American pop and films, gangsterism and culturally tolerated theft is commonplace. The movie could have been a lot stronger for sure on this point, Israeli forces have destroyed the Palestinian infrastructure. Given that it's a Palestinian point of view, I think it's remarkably even handed.

Suleiman views the occupation as implacable, his neighbour (who is mentally broken by the occupation) one day converses with Suleiman's father and says that he's discovered the secret to fight the occupation, the answer is the (un-Muslim) option of drinking arak, once drunk on arak, the Israeli planes are close enough to be plucked out of the air. That's the level of impotence that I think the characters in the film feel about events.

I think there's a sense of shame as well. I remember when Cheney's forces invaded Iraq, the speed with which they overcame the nation was viewed as a great shame for Arabs across the entire Middle East. The capitulation of Palestine is depicted the same way here, total and almost immediate, with the Mayor of Nazareth signing over the city to the Israelis without a word of protest. All we really see of Palestinian soldiers is a bunch of them jettisoning their keffiyehs and weapons and running for dear life before an engagement has even started. One man marches into an Israeli post and shoots himself as an act of defiance and protest, but this is portrayed with nil gravitas by Suleiman, as pointless as shouting at the wind.

The film is really a treasure trove of absurd vignettes that I don't want to delve into too deeply and spoil the movie for you, but I've got a list of at least ten other highly memorable moments in this film.

For you all you Americans out there, the movie is quite hostile towards American foreign policy. You won't see an American in the movie though. I don't think it's that controversial, it's pretty clear that the only real special relationship the US has had over the last half a century, in foreign policy terms, has been with Israel, and that's been to the detriment of the Palestinians.

I think the movie is a masterpiece of cogent dissent.