Origin: USA/Qatar/Jordan | Fiction | Director: Cherien Dabis | 98 minutes

---

May in the Summer

Cherien Dabis

May in the Summer (2013) (Dabis: Director, Writer, Actor). Speelfilm
U.S.A./Qatar/Jordan Language: English and Arabic. 98 min.
http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13036/may_in_the_summer
May has it all-a celebrated book, a sophisticated New York life, and a
terrific fiancé to match. But when she heads to Amman, Jordan, to arrange
her wedding, she lands in a bedlam of family chaos she thought she'd
transcended long before. Her headstrong, born-again Christian mother so
disapproves of her marrying a Muslim that she threatens to boycott the
wedding. Her younger sisters lean on her like children, and her estranged
father suddenly comes out of the woodwork. Meanwhile, doubts about her
marriage surface, and May's carefully structured life spins out of control.

As with her debut feature, Amreeka, Cherien Dabis lovingly breathes life
into a world rarely depicted on screen. She takes us to contemporary
Jordan, where ancient traditions, burgeoning modernity, and Western
imitation deliciously collide, and nothing is quite what it seems. Taking a
star turn in the title role, Dabis expertly captures the knotty dynamics of
a household of women, mining the inherent humor and pathos as her
irresistible characters stumble through rocky familial and romantic
terrain.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ug1I8Y0HWA

Writer Director Cherien Dabis on 'May in the Summer': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lTkbZld-Q0

Interview with Cherien Dabis:
http://www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org/2014/05/cherien-dabis-on-palestine-family-and-her-feature-film-acting-debut/

Dabis refuses to ignore the turbulence of the region,
despite the focus on interpersonal relationships in the film.
"Jordan is a really unique place because of the stability it has enjoyed.
It has given people a real perspective on the region," says Dabis.
In one memorable scene, the sisters are quarreling at a Dead Sea resort
when a fighter jet booms past the sunbathers, a reminder that war is not as
far as it might seem, and a reality check that makes their interrupted
squabble seem petty.

Palestine is the unspoken backdrop of the story. "Growing up in the
diaspora - that's very much what Palestine is. It's a longing. it's a
conversation. it's an obsession and a preoccupation. It takes on all these
different forms and shapes."

---

View trailer