Palestine 36 (2026) Review

         One of the most pernicious lies about Palestine’s colonization is that it is an ‘ancient’ conflict.  This narrative attempts to obfuscate the (very recent) role played by the British empire, and imperialism at large, in the hopes of creating a kind of fatalism in those naïve enough to take such ridiculous claims at face value. It’s a way of saying ‘they’ve always fought, and there’s nothing we can do about it, so just let the oil and money flow.’ This is why Annemarie Jacir’s new historical epic is so important. Tracing the lives of various Palestinian rebels living through the end of Britain’s rule, experiencing their homeland being handed to a burgeoning Israeli state, viewers are given a kaleidoscopic view of an often-underreported history. Weaving narratives that are at once intimate and epic creates a tapestry of Palestinian life that not only celebrates past resistance, but encourages us to think about how to continue the fight for freedom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWtwnae_5UI

Any movie, but especially a historical epic, is, to a certain extent, in dialogue with modernity. Slogans chanting for the ‘right of return,” news networks spreading Zionist propaganda from surreptitious sources, these are all elements in the film that we can’t help but connect to our present-day reality 90 years later—especially with Palestine being in so many headlines for the past three years. By placing her film over a decade before the infamous Nakba of 1948, when Palestine was ruled by a different imperial power, Jacir is pointing her film’s critique toward something more systemic. This more holistic approach shapes the perspective of the story by having us constantly pop between peasants in the countryside, rebels in the hills and affluent Palestinians in the city. What we ultimately see is that no sector of their society managed to go untouched by the horrific brutality onscreen. This point, at times, felt belabored, and the didactic nature of certain elements in the dialogue took me out of the moment, but for the most part I was spellbound by this magnificent blend of history and art. The visuals played a key role in this.

Thanks to the courage of Jacir’s crew, this film was the first movie shot in Palestine in the last two years. Filming in an active war zone surely presented its own set of challenges—including a multi-year pause in filming—but you’d never guess that from looking at the final cut. The production value makes itself most known in the set design. It took over a year for the crew to painstakingly reconstruct a 1930s village, including historically-accurate farming terraces. The use of Palestinian designers and workers to build the sets, including using traditional methods instead of concrete, makes for a sumptuous, authentic feel in every landscape we see. It also matters that these sets were lit beautifully, especially at night, which is a rarity. The classic soft-blue to mimic moonlight is, in my opinion, a vanishing art. The costume design has a similarly natural look thanks to Hamada Atallah using archival photos from the 1936-1939 period, but I also appreciate how worn the clothes look. Small signs of wear, dust, scuffs; these things could’ve happened organically as the actors were blocking their scenes, but either way it has an immersive effect that helps the images blend seamlessly with the archival footage used throughout. Maybe this speaks to Tania Reddin’s skills as an editor, masterfully blending images and sequencing loud, chaotic scenes after quiet, intimate ones. There’s a tonal dynamism that comes from this, and it leaves viewers suspended in dread.

It’s clear why Palestine chose this film as its entry for this year’s Oscars ceremony. Movies that are both beautifully crafted and filled with something important to say are increasingly rare; and while I do think the acting verged on being a bit over the top in some moments, what we ultimately get with Palestine 36 is not just a strongly rendered love letter to a long history of resistance, but a look at the human condition itself. Dreams, struggles, community, social schisms, it’s all here, and it’d be wrong to just look at this as a mere portrait of the past. This is a genocide that is still happening, even expanding as Israel takes over villages in the West Bank and southern Lebanon. Maybe this is what makes the ending so moving. Knowing what we all know today, it’s a film that doesn’t just show us how people once fought against colonization, but one that ends by asking us how we plan to carry that struggle forward, from the river to the sea. Palestine 36 is now in theaters and will be streaming soon—but you should absolutely watch it in theaters!