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Day 3 @ MSPIFF 2016: 'The Idol' Reviewed

Unlike Hany Abu-Assad's last two conflict-focused films -- Omar (2013) and Paradise Now (2005), both of which were nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar -- The Idol is a heartwarming, triumphant and often funny work on the life of the now famous Palestinian vocalist Mohammad Assaf.

In a straight-forward yet masterful way, the filmmaker guides the viewer through the singer's complicated childhood in Gaza and his risky, "rocket-like" ascent to international stardom. Like Assaf, the filmmaker here also ends up becoming, whether he intended to or not, a voice for the voiceless, a vehicle through which the lives of the internationally overlooked can be recognized.

The film starts strong, with a backstory featuring some incredible performances from first-time child actors. Hiba Atallah, who plays the kid Assaf's older sister, is simply amazing. Her character and the young Assaf (Qais Atallah) form a band amid the dreariness and destruction in Gaza, which to them is still a place where opportunity and fun exist, although the shadow of danger is ever-present. The sister is the driving force behind the band, but when she becomes seriously ill, she begs her little brother to keep using his "golden voice" so that they could one day make it out of Gaza and do something big in the world.

The second half of the film, which features an older Assaf played by Tawfeek Barhom, isn't quite as charming as the first, but Abu-Assad skillfully avoids following the singer's episode-by-episode struggle through an "American Idol"-style competition. Instead, he focuses on how Assaf sneaked into the audition and made it to the stage only through the goodwill of strangers and a series of coincidences. The film also explores the weight that befalls those like Assaf who, without asking for it, become the de facto spokesperson for a people. In some way, the film is a meditation on the immense power art has in shaping a people's identity and sense of pride.

Note: Bring Kleenex, because The Idol's ending will tug at your heartstrings. Even though the singer's eventual victory in the "Arab Idol" contest is the reason behind the whole story, it doesn't seem inevitable in Abu-Assad's telling. Touchingly, he switches, in the film's final moments, to real-life footage of street celebrations of Assaf's win. Thousands of people gather in Palestine and throughout the Arab world, shouting with joy and pride, waving flags and dancing. It's a powerful reminder of the humanity that exists -- and always does exist -- in parts of the world where strife and destruction, struggle and poverty seem to be the norm, and just about the only stuff seen in headlines.

The Idol is playing at the St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, and at 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20.

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Other Highlights For Saturday, April 9

Dheepan (Jacques Audiard, France) The winner of last year's Palme d'Or, Dheepan is the latest work from the filmmaker behind A Prophet and Rust and Bone. Focusing on the issue of immigration, the film follows a family pulled together my necessity as they trade conflict in Sri Lanka for a different sort of fight on the streets of Paris. (5:30)

Francofonia (Alexander Sokurov, France/Germany/Netherlands) The creator behind the immensely impressive Russian Ark focuses his lens and creative energy here on the Louvre, inviting viewers to reflect with him on the relationship between art, history, culture, and the very idea of the museum. (4:30)

Kill Me Please (Anita Rocha da Silveira, Brazil) In a dark and stylish look at bourgeois life in Rio, a teenage girl becomes obsessed with a string of murders over the course of the summer. The victims are all young women, and the protagonist slowly comes to identify more with the dead than the living. (3:15)

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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.

Throughout the entirety of the 2016 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.

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