Sand Storm – an 87 min sensitive film based in Israel, takes you there, makes you a part of their traditions we don’t understand, yet allows you to blend in. To me, that’s the power of incredible cinema!

You find yourself getting involved with the characters, their hardships, their dusty life. Their hardships make our cash chaos seem so trivial!

There are no pretty shots, yet the film is so beautifully shot. The script is well crafted…. you can almost hear poetry in the desert.

My favorite scene is when the laundry is done and is hanging out on the lines. Hundreds of clothes, seemingly, hanging out at the same time! You can barely see who you are talking to between the clothes; the perfect scene depicting “so near, yet so far”.

It’s a sensitive movie. It makes you a part of another culture so far far away. It reinforces the fact that women are the backbone of a family, even though they don’t decide who they get to marry. Nothing much changes no matter how modern the new generation may seem. And the mere possession of gadgets do not change conservative traditions.

It’s a film lover’s delight. You just flow with the story and walk out feeling enriched.

Full marks to the director Elite Zexer and each actor. Kudos to the production manager for making everything look so real. The colours of blankets and everything around make a beautiful contrast to the sand and dust.

For me, it’s a beautiful way to start #IFFI2016 !