The affair of a married Palestinian man and a married Israeli woman in Jerusalem takes a dangerous political dimension when they are spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving them to deal with more than their broken marriages.
Sarah, an Israeli café owner living in West Jerusalem, has a clandestine relationship with Saleem, her Palestinian bread vendor, who lives in East Jerusalem. When their spouses discover the affair, two lives – already divided by politics, culture, class, and marital commitments – are made infinitely more complicated. A not uncommon betrayal takes on an entirely sinister new twist as Israeli and Palestinian authorities misread the writing on the wall.
Based on true events, “The Reports on Sarah and Saleem” – Muayad Alayan’s psychological thriller – is shot with believable intrigue that gives new meaning to the adage the personal is political.
“By setting our story of two couples in the divided city of Jerusalem, I could depict how life in the holy city dictates a dangerous response to a common social drama that can happen anywhere in the world,” said director Muayad Alayan. “But when it happens here, with the crushing pressures of the socio-political environment, a steeper price is exacted from characters that are pushed to act selfishly and hurtfully towards one another in order to survive.”
“A compelling drama in which the personal crosses paths with the political. Excellent performances.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
“Engrossing and sharply edited. This taut psychosocial drama with political thriller elements deftly conveys the tensions, both physical and mental, between West and East Jerusalem.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety