Mediterranean Fever

Pitch

Walid, 40, a Palestinian living in Haifa with his wife and two children, cultivates his depression and his literary ambitions. He meets his new neighbor, Jalal, a small-time crook. The two men soon become inseparable: Jalal is convinced he is helping the writer by showing him his tricks; Walid sees it as an opportunity to carry out a secret project... "The contrast between Walid and Jalal struck me as interesting: they are completely different, yet very similar. Like two sides of the same coin. They are both vulnerable characters, yet very strong. They are both outsiders. I wanted to highlight antiheroes who are magnificent in their despair and despite the trials they go through in life... I didn't conceive Mediterranean Fever as a political film, but if viewers see it that way, I can't say otherwise. Politics is inseparable from my daily life as a Palestinian. As personal as the film's story is, politics is always in the background." Maha Haj