MOVIE REVIEW

By Kevin Thomas, Times Staff Writer

Mohammad Bakri, a craggily handsome middle-aged Arab, who is one of the most familiar and striking presences in the Israeli cinema, has one of his best roles in "Private." He plays Mohammad B., a teacher who lives with his wife and five children in a spacious, spartan house in the countryside halfway between a Palestinian village and an Israeli settlement, which puts it right smack in the middle of potential crossfire.

Not surprisingly, the Israeli army seizes the house, commandeering the second floor and at night locking the family into its living room. The children are allowed to go to school, and the family is in fact free to come and go during the day, but all their visitors are turned away and told never to return. Many Arab families have already fled, and that's precisely what Mohammad's wife, Samia (Areen Omari),wants to do. When Mohammad declares that the family will stay and stand its ground, his wife accuses him of placing principle above the safety of his children.

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But Mohammad is convinced of the power of nonviolent resistance and believes that if the family flees, the children will eventually hate their parents, themselves and Israelis. The Israeli commanding officer (Lior Miller) is a threatening bully but tends to back down in the face of Mohammad's passive stoicism.

The film nevertheless is a well-orchestrated war of nerves, and Mohammad and his family understand that any or all of them could be shot at any time. He has scant difficulty in keeping his youngest children in line but his oldest daughter, Mariam (Hend Ayoub), who looks about 20, has a headstrong nature as does one of his teenage sons.

The family has been told that under no account may it ascend to the second floor, yet Mariam sneaks upstairs to hide herself in a huge armoire to eavesdrop on the soldiers. Why she does this repeatedly is a mystery because right away it's clear that all she's going to learn from three privates is that they're scared and unsure why they're there.

An appropriately and deliberately gritty, drab-looking and edgy picture, "Private" is actually an Italian production, inspired by a real incident. It was directed and co-written by Saverio Costanzo and shot in Calabria rather than Israel because of security reasons. Perhaps inevitably bleak and grueling, "Private" is also involving and provocative — and critical of Israeli treatment of Palestinians in an effectively understated manner.

*

'Private'

MPAA rating: Unrated

Times guidelines: Adult themes, too intense for children

A Typecast Releasing presentation of an OffSide/Instituto Luce/Cydonia co-production in association with Rai Cinema. Director Saverio Costanzo. Producer Mario Gianani. Screenplay Costanzo, Sayed Oashua, Camilla Costanzo and Alessio Cremonini. Cinematographer Luigi Martinucci. Editor Francesca Calvelli. Music Alter Ego. Costume and set designer Ludovica Amai and Einat Fadida. In English, Hebrew and Arabic, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes.

Exclusively at the Fairfax Cinema, 7907 Beverly Blvd. (at Fairfax Ave.), (323) 655-4010; and the One Colorado, 42 Miller Alley, Pasadena, (626) 744-1224.