4.5/5
David Osit’s Mayor is a riveting documentary following the Christian mayor of Ramallah in Palestine as he attempts to run a functioning city government under the pressures of a foreign occupation. Opening with a swelling score that links Mayor Hadid’s efforts for Ramallah with the the efforts of mayors in other great cities of the world – New York, London, Paris, Berlin – we’re shown a man who is doggedly insistent on providing for his citizens – whether it’s simply taking care of the city’s sewage, fixing the doors on a local school, or keep the lights on for the city Christmas tree. In watching Hadid’s daily struggles of trying to keep a city running while illegal settlements on the outskirts of the city are dumping their sewage into the city, or while occupying soldiers invade and harass citizens, the film does more to show the indignities of life under Israeli occupation than any informational documentary could ever do. Lest you think it’s all grim and depressing, the film is still filled with so much warmth and humor – opening with a city council discussion on branding (What is branding? How do you brand a city?), a Christmas celebration that includes multiple Santa Clauses rappelling down the sides of buildings, and a public fountain that Mayor Hadid is desperately trying to perfect before it officially opens to the public. But hovering over all of the municipal projects that Hadid is attempting to oversee, there is the specter of America’s decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy to Jerusalem – a move which threatens the stability of Ramallah and all of Palestine. Osit captures all of this with a quiet, vérité approach, letting us discover key details along the way – whether it’s large moments like Israeli soldiers invading Ramallah or small moments like Hadid constantly fiddling with his e-cigarette as his anxiety grows. This is a fantastic documentary that is a necessary corrective to so much of the propaganda we receive from our own government about the relationship between Israel and Palestine.
