The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureCinemaShows, on demand & home video Archives

Mayor

Mayor | Movie review
31 December 2020
Ella Satin
Avatar
Ella Satin
31 December 2020

Movie and show review

Ella Satin

Mayor

★★★★★

Release date

1st January 2021

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

Let’s paint a picture of a municipal council in any small city: its members want to keep the streets clean, encourage visitors and raise the area’s profile. Mayor captures a few months in the life of Musa Hadid, the mayor of Ramallah, a largely Christian city in the West Bank. The film begins in December 2017, and the council are planning an event to light the big Christmas tree in the centre. Here and there a muezzin can be heard singing the call to prayer from a mosque.

Amidst this picture of apparent peace, Trump announces his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protests arise throughout the West Bank and Gaza, and in Ramallah Israeli soldiers shoot a child in the leg; as mayor, Musa must deal with the consequences. Can they light the Christmas tree at a time of national mourning? Is it dangerous to keep the festive lights on at night? One councillor suggests they erect a glowing sign on the tree with a statement like “Jerusalem is Palestinian.” Musa shakes his head: a municipal council doesn’t get caught up in national politics.

The beauty of Mayor lies in its everydayness. In the evenings, Musa’s daughter sits on the sofa with her MacBook and he plays the keyboard in the next room, bobbing in time to the music. He is a family man with a sense of humour, and it is heartwarming to see how he seems to just get along with everyone. Nonetheless, it’s a hard existence for the citizens of Ramallah – it’s clear the occupation bleeds into all areas of life, whether it be in the sewage in the streets, or soldiers stripping a grown man in public and storming the city with guns. Living in the West Bank means always being aware you are oppressed. The feature shows the progression from minor irritation to mortal fear that percolates in the minds of the city’s residents.

Still, Musa exudes a sense of calm that is beautiful to watch. He comes across as a highly intelligent man and, despite everything, he takes life with a pinch of salt. His optimism is infectious – we can’t help but feel soft inside when, the morning after an altercation, municipal workers clean up the streets, fixing breakages and smoothing over cracks in the walls. They continue to take care of their home. It’s a hopeful image. 

★★★★★

Ella Satin

Mayor is released digitally on demand on 1st January 2021.

Watch the trailer for Mayor here:

Related Itemsdocumentaryfeaturedisraelmusa hadidpalestineramallahreviewwest bank

More in Archives

London Coffee Festival returns to the Old Truman Brewery

Rita Vicinanza
Read More

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014: The Beekeeper

Phoebe Person
Read More

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014: First to Fall

Michele Schettino
Read More

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014: The Mulberry House

Thoralf Karlsen
Read More

Manomai: skincare based on your blood type

Isabella Stockwell
Read More

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2014: Before Snowfall

Lena Anayi
Read More

Bring the sunshine into your daily beauty routine with Acqua di Parma

Adrienn Bardossy
Read More

Royal Mail to axe 1,600 jobs to cut costs

Vincent Manancourt
Read More

Human Rights Watch Film Festival Big Men

The editorial unit
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Ella Satin

Mayor

★★★★★

Release date

1st January 2021

Certificate

UPG121518 title=

Links

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsite

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Outside the Wire
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • You Me at Six – Suckapunch
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • Persian Lessons
    Cinema
  • The New Music
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Coming together in courage: 76 Days
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Undercover at Morpheus Show Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ten short literary collections to get you back into reading
    Literature
  • Mayor
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Hip Hop Cinderella | Theatre review
Silence and Darkness | Movie review