Birthmark

Told with poignancy and dark humour, Birthmark challenges mainstream depictions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Taking place primarily on the eve of Donald Trump’s incendiary presidency, two families, one Jewish and the other Palestinian, anxiously await the fate of their children drawn to youth radicalization, fundamentalism and war. Jewish writer David Stein tries desperately to sabotage his son Nelson’s plan to quit McGill and join an ultra-Orthodox Israeli settlement in the West Bank by revealing a family secret about Jamila Hassan, a Palestinian teacher. Jamila’s adopted daughter Karima suddenly disappears from UQAM on a mysterious political mission abroad, provoking a CSIS investigation. Both single parents must reluctantly ally to help save each other’s only child from life-or-death scenarios that drive us to ponder the essence of our common humanity. Birthmark delivers a compelling vision for peace and social justice.