It Must Be Heaven is a 2019 internationally co-produced comedy-drama film directed, written and starred by Elia Suleiman.[1] It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3]
| It Must Be Heaven | |
|---|---|
 Cannes release poster | |
| Directed by | Elia Suleiman |
| Written by | Elia Suleiman |
| Produced by | Édouard Weil Laurine Pelassy Elia Suleiman Zeynep Özbatur Atakan Martin Hampel Thanassis Karathanos Michel Merkt Serge Noël |
| Starring | Elia Suleiman |
| Narrated by | Elia Suleiman |
| Cinematography | Sofian El Fani |
| Edited by | Véronique Lange |
Production companies | Rectangle Productions Pallas Film Nazira Films Possibles Media Zeynofilm |
| Distributed by | Le Pacte |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries | France Germany Canada Qatar Palestine Turkey |
| Languages | Arabic French English Spanish Hebrew |
It was selected as the Palestinian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[4]
Plot
editA Palestinian man travels abroad. He encounters strange and familiar scenes.
Cast
edit- Elia Suleiman as himself
- Ali Suliman as Brother 1 in Restaurant
- François Girard as Policeman
- Gael García Bernal as himself
- Nancy Grant as Producer
- Guy Sprung as Professor
- Kwasi Songui as Taxi driver
- Stephen McHattie as Fortune teller
- Raïa Haïdar as Femen
- Alain Dahan as Immigration officer
- Vincent Maraval as Producer
- Grégoire Colin as Man in subway
Reception
editAs of October 2021[update], the film holds a 96% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "An entrancing blend of the poignant and the absurd, It Must Be Heaven finds writer-director Elia Suleiman returning to action in peak form."[5] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 69 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[6]
Awards
editAt the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, It Must Be Heaven received the Special Mention from the Main Competition Jury,[7][8] and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film In Competition.[9]
At the 2019 Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF), the film was awarded 4,000 € in broadcasting rights in Belgium.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "It Must Be Heaven". Cineuropa. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Cannes festival 2019: full list of films". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide 2019". 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Day, Emma (21 August 2019). "Oscars 2020: Filmmaker Elia Suleiman to represent Palestine in Best Foreign Language Film submission". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "It Must Be Heaven (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ "It Must Be Heaven". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Bong Joon-ho's Parasite Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes". Variety. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Pulver, Andrew (25 May 2019). "Bong Joon-ho's Parasite wins Palme d'Or at Cannes film festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Cannes: 'It Must Be Heaven' Takes FIPRESCI Critics' Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Awards 2019". BRIFF. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.