Make A Wish

Any film made in Palestine reflects the political situation. It is inevitable and yet Make A Wish does not labour the point. Gunfire is heard quite close and the television shows endless clips of street warfare, but this is the story of a young girl’s attempt to buy a chocolate cake in Ramallah.

She lives with her mother (stressed and fearful) and younger sister (annoying and clever). Money is short, but she has been saving up for a year. When she goes to the bakery, the best cake, the chocolate one, is more expensive than she thought and she has to think of ways to make the extra cash before closing time.

She is observant and inventive and won’t be put off. One of her scams is to make her sister fake blindness (“Blind people don’t walk about with their eyes closed!”) so that she can beg for (financial) help.

There is a good twist at the end, but it is the natural, often charming, performances that give this 12-minute film its heart.