Afraid of never seeing his girlfriend again, an imprisoned Palestinian turns Israeli police informant in this intense thriller with more to it than meets the eye. At first, the film seems to simply be about the struggle for love to blossom among youths in war zone conditions, but as the film progresses, it transforms into a study of how this very human characteristic is used by everyone around the protagonist to manipulate him. He is coerced into assisting in dangerous 'freedom fighting' acts by his girlfriend's brother under the understanding that this will convince him to consent to their engagement. Later, the Israeli police scare him into thinking that working for them is the only way he will ever see the girl he loves again. And then later still, he learns of a shocking betrayal by a childhood friend in regards to the girl. Adam Bakri gives a superb performance throughout as the title character, but his realisation of the betrayal towards the end is his strongest scene with perfectly intruding close-up camera- work allowing us to see his every facial muscle flinch. The whole film is well shot though, with intimate close-ups throughout and lots of active camera-work, running at times with Bakri all over the ancient buildings of Israel. Not everything about the plot quite adds up, but the events on hand manage to spiral to a potent conclusion and the distinct lack of music over the closing credits is an excellent touch. While not a political film at its forefront, 'Omar' offers a chilling account of how something as basic as affection has a hard time surviving when everyone has their own agenda.
