Eagerly anticipating the release of Paradise Now, I decided to check out Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad's previous film, Al Qods Fee Yom Akar (Rana's Wedding). The film is also known in some quarters as Another Day in Jerusalem, which more accurately describes what is most effectively portrayed in Assad's provocative production. Despite a narrative that traces a 17 year old Palestinian girl's desperate struggle to get married before 4 PM, the most striking aspect of Rana's Wedding are the glimpses of everyday life in Jerusalem--personal first hand portraits that intimately fill in the gaps that we'll never get from CNN.

I've only spent two days in Jerusalem as a tourist, yet one scene particularly rang true for me. A frustrated Rana (Clara Khoury) cries out and nearly slams her cell phone down when a whole row of sitting Israeli soldiers leap to their feet and point their guns in her direction. She freezes, smiles, and holds up her cell phone to demonstrate her harmlessness. And I am so sure that this type of thing happens regularly, as I had a similar experience with a pair of soldiers when I snapped a picture on the streets.

Naturally, Israelis have plentiful reasons for paranoia and caution--especially in Jerusalem. Assad prepares us subtly from the opening scene inside Rana's home, shot as though we're peering through stationary security cameras set inside her room and in the hallway. We are bluntly reminded of this viewpoint more late in the film with actual security cameras, and Assad bookends this in the finale with a similar boom shot over one of Jerusalem's check points. So we are privy for a day to objectively witness the goings on inside the crucible of Jerusalem.

Initially we don't know the reason for Rana's early morning frantic actions, but we soon learn that she must get married that day by 4 PM or leave with her father to Egypt. He has left her a list of suitable bachelors who have asked for her hand, but she doesn't know any of the doctors, lawyers, and other professions on the list (curious, she does get a peek at one before running away with schoolgirl giggles). She loves Khalil (Khalifa Natour), but the theater director isn't on her father's approved list. Nevertheless, she sets out to marry Khalil, but can she get hold of him, get him to agree to the marriage, get the legal papers, find a willing registrar, and gather the necessary relatives and witnesses all before 4 PM?

It's a typical plot for a romantic comedy, but it's set amidst the background of the long time tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem. Taking place on both sides, we witness the long lines at checkpoints, a battle between young rock throwing Palestinian boys and armed Israeli soldiers, a funeral for a Palestinian victim, and see the police blow up Rana's handbag of possessions after she absent-mindedly leaves it behind. Assad's camera also tracks Rana's path through the Old City streets and bazaars that will have travel fans drooling. Due to security concerns, relatively few films are shot on location in Jerusalem, so that makes Rana's Wedding especially valuable.

Tightly constructed and using local non-actors, the neo-realistic film essentially serves as a true to life portrait of daily life in Jerusalem way beyond the typical travelogue. Assad does flesh out his characters to a degree, so they are not stereotypical devices. At one point Rana overhears the negative views some of Khalil's family has about his new fiancée, and she becomes frightened to the point of running away before Khalil calms her fears. Assad wisely accomplishes mostly through a Truffaut-like distant tracking shots that get the point across without having to rely on more subtle acting skills that close-ups would require.

The plot may be totally convoluted, but that is of little import when considering the true purpose of the film--to bring more awareness about what the people living there must deal with. Not everyone is into the politics of the Arab-Israeli conflicts that reach their zenith in the ancient holy city. Most just want to get on with their lives, and some plan to get married that day. Even if the celebration has to take place at a check point. And even if we have to view it through a "security camera." Something remarkable happens daily in Jerusalem, so while this may seem relatively mundane for the locals, Rana's Wedding remains a memorable and worthwhile experience.