Omar (2014)
89%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Twisty and riveting, Omar is a well-directed crime drama with uncommon depth.
Omar is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. The story is complex and nuanced, with no clear heroes or villains. The performances are strong, especially Bakri’s portrayal of a conflicted young man caught between loyalty and love. While the ending may not satisfy everyone, it’s a thought-provoking conclusion to a gripping tale. Overall, Omar is a must-see for anyone interested in the political and social realities of the Middle East, and for anyone who loves a good thriller.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Adopt Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 38m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 21, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Adam Bakri, Leem Lubany, Samer Bisharat, Eyad Hourani, Rohl Ayadi, Waleed Zuaiter, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, written by Hany Abu-Assad, David Henry Gerson, Waleed Zuaiter, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Eddie Cockrell, Jake Wilson, Jonathan Romney, Geoffrey Macnab, Donald Clarke, Steve Rose, David Walsh, Stephen A Russell, David Harris, Bernard Boo, Steve Erickson, Pat Padua, Palestinian, Israeli, informant, crime drama, thriller, moral quandary, emotional depth, intense realism, occupation, love story, tender, tense, Shakespearean, well-directed, uncommon depth, twisty, riveting, subtle political film, lucid, diagrammatic, mathematical proof, no right choices, ever-changing nature, daily lives, fraught, strange environment, betrayal, nerve-rattling entertainment, deeply felt polemic, tragic situation, intimate, concrete detail, suspenseful, toxic environment, stinging vision, morally complex, beyond simple politics, consequences, humane methods, lawyer, occupation
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Adam Bakri – Omar
Leem Lubany – Nadia
Samer Bisharat – Amjad
Eyad Hourani – Tarek
Rohl Ayadi – Hussam
Director(s)
Hany Abu-Assad
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
David Henry Gerson, Waleed Zuaiter
Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (79) | Rotten (9)
Bakri gives a richly detailed performance, often allowing his stoicism to slip and reveal the confused and angry young man within.
June 6, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Cockrell
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Abu-Assad does not aim for the Dardennes’ breathless immediacy. Rather, the story is laid out in a lucid, diagrammatic way, like a mathematical proof that for someone in Omar’s position there are no right choices.
June 4, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jake Wilson
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
This is a subtle political film: one that fully dramatises a situation and lets us think out its contradictions for ourselves.
June 1, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Jonathan Romney
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Abu-Assad is simply reflecting the ever-changing nature of his characters’ daily lives in a fraught and strange environment in which betrayal has become endemic.
May 30, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The end result is a nerve-rattling entertainment flavoured by vigorous, deeply felt polemic.
May 30, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
The story dishes out action and surprises without losing its political intent.
May 29, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Steve Rose
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The film points to the nearly impossible personal and social conditions for the Palestinians under Israeli rule. … Omar brings to life the tragic situation in intimate, concrete detail.
February 12, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
With Omar he has delivered an incredibly powerful story in a lean 90 minutes, a commendable economy that should be a lesson to the ever-increasing number of directors who believe a film must run to two-hour plus to deliver emotional weight.
August 26, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Stephen A. Russell
The New Daily (Australia)
Omar is a suspenseful moral quandary, tripped up only be an illogical, but inevitable, conclusion.
November 22, 2019 | Rating: 3.2/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Though narratively uninspired and lacking strong performances to lead us through the tale, Abu-Assad’s pensive examination of the toxic environment in the Middle East is as riveting as it was in his lauded suicide bomber drama.
April 3, 2019 | Rating: 7.6/10
Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
There are no clear-cut good guys or bad guys in Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad’s stinging vision; no one in Omar exits with clean hands, which helps lift the movie above its grounding in the basics of film noir.
August 31, 2018
Steve Erickson
Nashville Scene
The action tropes handled so well in the film’s first half are pushed aside for clumsy melodrama by the end of the film.
August 31, 2018
Pat Padua
DCist…
Plot
After the death of an Israeli soldier, a Palestinian baker named Omar agrees to work as an informant, but his true motives and alliances remain hidden in this twisty and riveting crime drama.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film or anyone in the cast on Fresh Kernels.
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