Heart runs through director Adar Shafran’s new film, “Running on Sand,” which was nominated for the Israeli Academy Award for Best Film.
Circuit Arts brings us this poignant comedy, which screens on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 pm at the Grange Hall. The essential plot is one of mistaken identity, when Omari, a young Eritrean refugee living illegally in Israel, is mistakenly believed to be the professional soccer player who has come to save the flailing football team — or to us Americans, soccer.
The opening scene, though, lets us know there will be a lot more than just laughs. As the title credits roll, we hear feet running and heavy breathing. Then the definition of a refugee comes on screen: A person who has fled their home and is outside their country of citizenship, because they have a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, sexual orientation, or belonging to a particular social group.
Shot from ground level, we just see a man’s long legs in ragged pants and worn shoes, running in the endless desert, and hear the words: “I’ve been running all my life. Some people were born to run who have no other choice. God may have taken everything from me, but he gave me a great gift: the ability to run. And when I run, I don’t think, I don’t feel. And at some point, the pain goes away. The problems begin once you stop.”
We are then dropped directly into refugee life, with Omari, played by the charismatic Congo-born actor Chancela Mongoza, and his best friend Nigel (Michael Kabeya Aharoni, who are working in the kitchen of a high-end restaurant. They go home to a house filled with other refugees who are in the country illegally. A raid ensues, and Omari, despite his great ability to run, is eventually caught.
Despite his protests that he will be killed if deported, Omari is about to be put on a plane when he escapes … right into the welcoming hands of Shimi (Zvika Hadar), the owner of the struggling Maccabi Netanya team, and his daughter Neta, played by Kim Or Azulay. They happen to be waiting for the Nigerian football player Jimmy Mikel, and with immigration officers hot on his tail, Omari plays the part.
Signing a contract for a lavish sum and a gorgeous apartment would be a dream if it weren’t for the fact that Omari doesn’t play soccer.
Without giving anything away, suffice it to say that the plot gets complicated. A lot rides on the team’s success, and on Omari continuing to dodge immigration, so he can escape with Nigel, and hopefully Omari’s Eritrean brother, Allen.
There is a budding love story in there, too, that you can’t help but root for, between the hard-nosed, all-business Neta and Omari. A family theme runs through as well — one of a daughter and father, with Neta and Shimi, and of brothers Omari and Allen. But the team is a family of players from different countries, where friendships, with all their trials and tribulations — and Omari’s help, create a tangible sense of belonging, whether a legal citizen or a refugee in the country illegally. At the end of the film, spoiler alert: We discover that all the actors from Africa playing refugees are in fact refugees. Some had work permits, others received Israeli passports, and some later left the country.
“Running on Sand” keeps us engaged with the characters and their fates, while it strikes the right balance of comedy, romance, and real-life drama.
“Running on Sand” screens on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 pm, at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury. For more information, go to circuitarts.org/runnningonsand.
