From a review by Amir Bogen, 5/21/15: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4659147,00.html
"Dégradé" is the first feature film of twin brothers Ahmed and Mohamed Abu Nasser, known as filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Abu Nasser,
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It's a small film which takes place in one location – a beauty parlor in Gaza, which is visited by women of different ages from different sectors. It's a "small and colorful piece of heaven," where a future bride sits alongside a cynical divorcee, a young pregnant woman, a religious woman covered from head to toe, the beauty parlor's owner who came from Russia, a rebellious hairdresser and an elderly bitter woman played by Nazareth-born Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass. The film's cast also includes actresses Maisa Abd Elhadi and Manal Awad.
Together they create an emotionally charged microcosm which is discharged in conversations about politics, religion and of course men, as opposed to the men who discharge their differences of opinion by firing their Kalashnikov rifles on the street.
This difference between the sexes is emphasized when the hairdresser's lover, the son of a local clan, steals a lion from the infamous Gaza zoo, an act seen by the local Hamas leaders as a spit in the face. They launch a war against him and his family, turning the street into a very dangerous and noisy place.
Based on a true story. 'Dégradé'
The Abu Nasser brothers say the film is based on a true story. "There was a powerful family that had a lion from the zoo, and the government attacked this family to take it," Tarzan explained in an interview. "When Hamas came to power in 2006, they looked to take out all of the various clans to assert their control, looking for reasons each time."
"They killed like 15 members of the family," Arab added.
The viewers experience all these events from within the beauty parlor, where the women are asked to stay until danger is past. But the danger doesn’t pass for hours, and with the gunfire and blast sounds outside, the women share intimate moments inside, in which they discuss their love stories, their approach towards life, secularism versus religiousness and Gaza's deterioration. Granted, Israel is often mentioned in a negative context, but the discussion focuses on the Hamas government and the Palestinian society which is being torn under its rule.
"Women in Gaza are like all other women in the world, although their suffering is very unique," the 26-year-old brothers said in an interview to the local media. "We need women in order to bring about change in Gaza. They are our heroes because despite the ongoing war, they represent life.
"The movie includes battles outside the beauty salon, but inside they continue with their love stories. They want to remain beautiful, hoping for a date or marriage. While people are shooting at each other on the street, putting on lipstick becomes an act of protest: Holding on to humanity no matter the circumstances, keeping hope alive."
While the film's characters mostly discuss their personal life, their distress is clear and so is the harsh criticism directed at Hamas and the street gangs. "All they bring is violence. They don't let us live peacefully," the women charge, pointing an accusing finger at the religious woman, who declares: "Just because I look like this doesn’t mean I voted for them."
