Somewhere on the West Bank of Palestine on a late Friday afternoon, five nuns are sitting at dinner together when suddenly the sound of a crashing car is heard just outside. Everyone reacts silently, and goes back to eating. Back outside it’s revealed that an Israeli family has actually crashed into a pedestal breaking a statue of the Virgin Mary in the process.
The family consists of a Jewish man named Moshe (Shady Srour), his wife Rachel (Maya Koren) and his nagging mother (Ruth Farhi). Rachel attempts to get help by banging on the entry to the convent, and the youngest nun Sr. Marie (Maria Zreik) answers the door, only to go back inside and break the silence. Eventually the eldest nun invites the family inside, but Moshe is already upset, noticing that Shabbat is practically beginning. However calling for help is hard with an old fashioned phone, and the visitors can’t accept the food (pork) that’s on offer. After arguing on the phone with the taxi service, the family starts to argue with each other until the eldest nun breaks her vow of silence and offers help in the only way nuns can.
Showing that teamwork can be possible between two different types of people tells us that despite differences, things always work out in the end. The plot was funny and creative, the scenario was fleshed out very well, and the characters had interesting traits even if there wasn’t a lot of developmental screen time. Available for viewing during TJFF on Saturday May 7 9:30 pm at Famous Players Canada Square 3.