It Must Be Heaven

His work has been compared to that of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton. And not without reason, because like his two famous predecessors, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman manages to seamlessly connect absurd, almost slapstick-like humour to a serene sense of sadness. This mix characterized his best-known films Divine Intervention (2002) and The Time That Remains (2010). The same applies to his new feature It Must Be Heaven, in which everything revolves around the question: Where do people feel at home? Suleiman plays the lead role in this comedy, without saying a word. Also with Gael García Bernal.

A director from Nazareth (Suleiman) travels to Paris and then to New York to raise money for his new film project. Looking at all the small, very witty incidents, the conclusion can only be: no matter how different things are everywhere, there is always something reminiscent of Palestine, of home.