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'Omar' is a heavy-handed political thriller

( Unrated ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Omar' is a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

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Having just been released from prison, Omar (Adam Bakri) comforts his young seamstress girlfriend Nadia (Leem Lubany) in a scene from the new thriller by Hany Abu-Assad, “Omar.”
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Set in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hany Abu-Assad’s “Omar” (a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar) is a heavy-handed political thriller with psychological overtones. Omar (Adam Bakri), a young baker, regularly crosses the separation wall to visit his secret love, Nadia (Leem Lubany). When he is imprisoned by the Israelis for his participation in a deadly ambush, Omar is maneuvered into becoming an informer on his friends and fellow collaborators (including Nadia’s brother). Or is he just conning the military police?

The film works best as a straightforward melodrama set in an anything but straightforward world. Grade: B (Unrated.)

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