The Idol: A Story of Hope
This 2016 film by director Hany Abu-Assad, tells a fictionalized version of the true story of how Mohammad Assaf, a young boy born in Gaza, Palestine during the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, rose above the trials and hardships of life in a city at war, and used his voice to become a beacon of hope for those in Palestine, and many others across the world.
The story begins by introducing a young Mohammad Assaf and his strong willed sister Nour, two resourceful, scrappy children who are working to raise money any way that they can to earn money to purchase instruments for their band along with two other neighborhood friends. Their band performs many times throughout the beginning of the film, and the viewer gets to witness their progression from performing with instruments made from garbage for local kids, to performing at small weddings and birthday parties. Throughout all of these, the one thing that remains constant is Mohammad Assaf’s ability to draw a crowd with his voice.
Behind the plot of the film, the viewer is introduced to the struggles and harsh realities that accompany life in life in Gaza during this time through long, sweeping shots of a ruined city, and through the numerous trials the children endure for the sake of their dream. Mohammad Assaf is continually reminded of this dream through the words of his sister, “We’re going to be big, and we’ll change the world. Say it!” These words become a motivation for him following the early death of his sister, and once reawakened due to an encounter with an old friend, drive him to risk imprisonment by fleeing from Gaza to reach Cairo so that he might audition for the show Arab Idol.
It is at this point that the film truly begins to shine, and to reveal its true purpose. As Mohammad Assaf auditions and advances through the stages of Arab Idol, the film begins to interweave actual footage of the real Mohammad Assaf from Arab Idol, as well as showing footage of actual crowds in Palestine gathered in the streets watching, waiting, and celebrating as he wins Arab Idol.
Throughout the entire film, Mohammad Assaf’s voice inspires those around him. It is because of his voice that his friend Amal feels joy despite her incurable disease, it is because of his voice that he is able to convince the guard at the border to let him across with forged documentation, and it is because of his voice that he is given a ticket to audition for Arab Idol despite arriving too late. Finally, it is because of his voice that he is able to bring hope to a hopeless Palestine much in the same way he is able to bring joy to Amal. His voice becomes the unifying thread that draws a war-torn nation together and that inspires national pride to a people standing in dusty streets amidst the rubble and ruin of their city. This hope is vibrantly portrayed in what may be the most touching scene of the entire film, during the last few minutes. This scene juxtaposes actual footage of wild, rambunctious celebrating in the streets of Gaza with tranquil, peaceful music covering the sound of their celebrating. This scene perfectly summarizes Mohammad Assafs impact, in that, his life and his voice served to provide hope, peace, and joy to a people living in a time and place, where such emotions do not seem to fit, just as the calming music doesn’t seem to fit with such wild footage.