Mars at Sunrise | Rotten Tomatoes

Mars at Sunrise

2013

1h 15m

Drama

List

40%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

88%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

A Palestinian artist (Ali Suliman) tells a Jewish-American poet (Haale Gafori) how he was tortured by a failed Israeli artist (Guy Elhanan) who wanted to turn him into an informant.

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Drew Hunt

Chicago Reader

[Habie uses] a narrative framework similar to that of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But whereas that Michel Gondry comedy kept its central plot in focus as it became more visually elaborate, this just grows more alienating.

Apr 24, 2014

Full Review

Ronnie Scheib

Variety

Suliman ("Paradise Now," "The Attack") dominates the screen as Khaled, utterly compelling in and out of jail, his magnificent perf tying up cinematic loose ends.

Feb 10, 2014

Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through stylized compositions, nontraditional narrative and a stripped-down aesthetic, Jessica Habie's "Mars at Sunrise" distills a war among many to a single, devastating duel.

Feb 6, 2014

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

There are films that stay with you long after the closing credits have rolled on by. Mars at Sunrise is such a film.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 16, 2020

Full Review

Amy R. Handler

Film Threat

What I most appreciate about Habie's little cinematic gem is that it ends on an uncontrived, completely believable up beat.

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 25, 2014

Full Review

Chris Klimek

The Dissolve

[Jessica] Habie's fractured narrative style-particularly her arbitrary shifts from Khaled's perspective to Eyal's to (apparently) third-person reality-stymies the accumulation of any dramatic momentum from scene to scene

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 13, 2014

Full Review

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Audience Member

I saw this film at the 2013 Arab Film Festival in San Francisco and it was one of the best ones of the 40+ I saw. Creative, moving and unforgetable. Watch it! Thank you Jessica Habie for making it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Recommended. Surreal, human, intelligent, current, vast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Exceptional movie giving an powerful artistic angle at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict....

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A film detailing the devastation of suppressed and oppressed creativity (and, therefore, life), Mars at Sunrise is a lyrical film that must be seen to appreciate just how daring it really is. Between painting, interpretive dance, and an evocative soundtrack, the film constructs a world of the subconscious between its two main characters. Part poem, part narrative, part documentary, Mars at Sunrise raises questions typically not considered in the Israel-Palestine conflict by focusing on two artists caught in the middle. Check it out!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautifully told story. Accomplished acting and imaginative narrative. Sound and editing move the story forward in a poetic yet dynamic way.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

The fragmented narrative mirrors the way trauma impacts memory and interrupts linear thought. This is a beautiful and important film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Jessica Habie

Director

Ali Suliman

Khaled

Guy Elhanan

Eyal

Haale Gafori

Azzadeh

Maisam Masri

Jibril

Tarik Kopty

Husni

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Synopsis

A Palestinian artist (Ali Suliman) tells a Jewish-American poet (Haale Gafori) how he was tortured by a failed Israeli artist (Guy Elhanan) who wanted to turn him into an informant.

Director: Jessica Habie
Screenwriter: Jessica Habie
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2016
Runtime: 1h 15m

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