Palestine Film Review: Soup Over Bethlehem

In Director Larissa Sansour’s “Soup Over Bethlehem,” a Palestinian family has dinner and conversation about a Palestinian national dish called mloukhieh. Their discussion includes a range of topics surrounding politics, culture and Palestinian living conditions in relation to Israel’s occupation and the wall.

From a rooftop in Bethlehem, six, adult family members sit around a table. The question arises as to whether Israelis usurped the dish for Israeli culture. With the ongoing construction of Israel’s 700 km wall already 60 per cent complete, restrictions on Palestinian movement make it difficult to access the ingredients necessary for the dish.

Mloukhieh is a plant with thick leaves, and a dish of mloukhieh can be made from dry leaves or fresh leaves. Also, Mloukhieh can be made with minced garlic, butter, cumin, and salt. In the video, the man who prepared the dish served the mloukhieh with chicken over a bed of saffron rice. Sometimes people serve it with rabbit also. One of the Palestinian signatures to the dish is lemon juice because they use lemon in their cooking for many of their dishes.

Since the leaves grow best in the hot climates of Gaza and Jericho, the man at the table discusses the challenges he faced trying to buy dry mloukhieh in Ramallah.

The topic of conversation transitions to the question as to whether Palestinians would be allowed to grow mloukhieh alongside the wall. Since the wall restricts Palestinian movement and access to neighboring cities and villages, people may be more inclined to grow their own food. When people had access to areas with more ease they could travel to villages and towns known for specific food items and goods.

I like the video and I recommend people see it because it is a fresh, cinematic approach in showing the challenges Palestinians face living under occupation. “Soup Over Bethlehem” brings the Palestinian home to the international community.

This film is showing Saturday, April 21, 2007, 8:15 P.M. at the Gene Siskel Film Center for the 6th Annual Chicago Palestine Film Festival.

Directed by: Larissa Sansour
Country: Denmark/Palestine
Year: 2006
Duration: 10 minutes
In Arabic and English with English subtitles

-U.S. journalist and film critic Sonia Nettnin writes about social, political, economic, and cultural issues. Her focus is the Middle East.

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