The Other Son

Review by Giorgia Piantanida

The short: Two babies are born on the same night at around the same time in an Israeli hospital, which gets evacuated due to a bomb. The babies are returned to the families, but they are switched - the Palestinian child goes to an Israeli family and the Israeli child goes to the Palestinian family. No one finds out until they are 18, which is when the story begins. 

The long: Once the boys realize they were switched at birth, they cross the separation wall to meet each other and their genetic families. While the boys are quicker to embrace what has happened and work to undo the prejudices they grew up with, the rest of the families have a different journey. The males of both families are more concerned that the genetic son was raised by the ‘enemy,’ meaning they have a different religion, historical understandings, etc. However, the moms are more concerned with meeting their genetic son and moving heaven and hell in order to do so. The emotional journey of both families is beautifully catalogued, and explores a unique angle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however fantastical is may be.

To watch or not to watch: In terms of accuracy or historical context, this is not the movie to gravitate towards. However, the movie’s emotional depth and ability to stay with you long after it is done makes it a must watch. It raises questions about alternative realities, forks in the road and what ifs, and sits heavy in your heart. By bringing to life two families that would’ve never interacted with each other in any other circumstances and putting them in the same spaces, the movie questions not only the Israeli-Palestinian and the prejudices within it, but also the prejudices within yourself, in your own space and land.