Private [DVD]

Mohamed is a professor of English literature at one of the most progressive institutes in Palestine, of which he is also the director. He lives in a small village with his wife Samia and their five children: Mariam (17 years old), Yusef (14 years old), Jamal (13 years old), Karem (6 years old) and Nadia (8 years old). The family lives in an isolated house located halfway between a Palestinian village and a Jewish settlement. The house soon becomes a strategic point. The Israelis decide to confiscate it. Even though the house is invaded by Israeli soldiers, Mohamed refuses to leave. Relying on his deep belief in non-violence, he decides that it is possible to live with the soldiers. They decide to divide the house into three areas. The living room (zone A), where the family will be locked up every night until the next morning; the ground floor (zone B), where they can only be during the day; and the upper floor (zone C), strictly reserved for the occupants. This new life, impregnated with fear, breaks the unity of the family. Each member reacts in their own way to the presence of the soldiers and the father's decision.
Mariam is the only one to support her father. But he doesn't want to stay in the house for the same reason as Mohamed. He believes that it is the only way to carry out active resistance, even violent if necessary. Mariam, driven by curiosity and her deep desire to repel the invader, will ignore the prohibition and sneak upstairs. The commander is about to surprise her, but she hides in a built-in closet. It is the perfect place to observe and spy on soldiers. He soon discovers that the enemy is an everyday human being. Jamal, Mariam's brother, seemingly stronger, more independent and quieter, harbors a secret desire for revenge. Time proves Mohamed right. His strategy of peaceful resistance bears fruit and he manages to normalize the situation. The initial tensions between the family and the soldiers dissolve. Without new stimuli, the spiral of violence becomes absurd. When everything seems to have returned to normal, a new outbreak of violence threatens to destroy everything that has been achieved.