The Other Son

The Other Son, premiered at the Lycee Francais de New York, is a compelling movie about Israel and Palestine, about being a Jew, about being an Arab, about being 18 or 19-year-old today. Directed by Lorraine Levy, this movie which was filmed in 4 different languages – English, French, Arabic and Hebrew -, is forcing us to look at the Israelo-Arab conflict through a different perspective, through the eyes of teenagers who have concrete issues: where can I go and dance tonight? Where can I make money during the Summer? What girl am I going to kiss tonight? Using the same subterfuge as French director Etienne Chatillez in “La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille” ( Babies are exchanged in the maternity ward and the Israeli boy is brought up on The West Bank by a Palestinian family and vice versa), this film raises questions that linger on once the lights are on. Women make peace before men; music reconciles both sides; mothers can have many sons; understanding and love can replace hate by if a dialogue starts… In the end what really matters is what you do with your life and not who your parents are, or where you come from. The film is also a tribute to the French Language and the French-speaking world which spreads wide beyond frontiers.