The Palestinian film Thank You For Banking With Us, directed by Laila Abbas, steps away from the traditional themes of resistance films and the focus on occupied land to address a significant social issue affecting women—not only Palestinian women but also Arab and Muslim women more broadly: the issue of inheritance under divine law. This law states that, “The male shall have the share of two females,” based on the religious and social expectation, meaning men are financially responsible for the women in their families (sisters, wives, mothers). This complex and sensitive topic, now explored for the first time on the silver screen, raises new perspectives on longstanding norms.
The film competed in the feature films category at the seventh El Gouna Film Festival, where it won Best Arab Feature Film award, shared with the Tunisian film Who Do I Belong To (Mé el Aïn) directed by Maryam Joobeur. This marks Laila Abbas’s feature film debut, following her documentary Ice and Dust and several short films over the past decade. Additionally, it was one of nine films nominated for the FIPRESCI Award. The story follows two sisters, Nora (Yasmine Al-Masry) and Maryam (Clara Khoury), whose father’s sudden death prompts Nora to persuade Maryam to withdraw his money from the bank before the death is formally reported, fearing that their brother’s arrival from USA will lead to him claiming half of the inheritance.
The two sisters set off on a journey to find a man willing to impersonate their father over the phone to facilitate the bank transaction. Over the course of a day and night, they confront the fragile nature of their relationships with men, whether strangers or those they share emotional or familial bonds with. Through these encounters, they come to realize that their real strength lies in the solidarity and support they offer each other as sisters and as women.
The film does not aim to challenge or oppose divine legislation but instead seeks to analyze its foundations and the wisdom behind its principles, acknowledging that every law has a rationale to support its existence. It offers a critique of the unfair implementation of these principles, particularly concerning women, while shedding light on the tendency of some men to adhere only to the literal interpretation of inheritance laws—claiming their financial share without upholding the responsibilities that come with it. The story illustrates this through the brother, who, despite his supposed right to inherit a significant portion of his father’s money, has abandoned his duties to the family and emigrated to USA, leaving the two sisters to shoulder the burden of caring for their ailing father. The sisters continue to navigate life with little material or moral support from their brother or other men around them.
The older sister, Maryam, is an unemployed housewife, visibly exhausted and dissatisfied with her role as a wife and mother. She bears the weight of raising her children alone, while her husband is frequently absent and entangled in other interests in other women. In contrast, Nora resents the opposite sex, feeling unsafe around men and harboring deep-seated anger towards the men in her family—her father, uncle, and brother. She drifts between love affairs with a sense of detachment, unable to commit to a serious, long-term relationship. The roots of her anger and distrust emerge when her male relatives, including her uncle and her lover, turn their backs on her and her sister’s efforts to retrieve their father’s funds.
The director prioritizes the film’s central issue over cinematic and visual aesthetics, resulting in a work deeply immersed in its cause and fully committed to it. The narrative adopts a straightforward approach, focusing on delivering information and discussing the central themes primarily through the dialogue between the two sisters. Through their conversations, we gain insights into their lives and the challenges they face. Nora, in particular, articulates her reasoning for wanting to claim the inheritance, questioning the wisdom of their brother receiving a larger share, the same as their uncle (their mother’s brother) formerly did with their mother and aunts- abandoning his duties towards them. She emphasizes that this inheritance is rightfully theirs and does not contradict religious doctrine.
However, Maryam’s reasons for staying in an unhappy marriage, despite evident tension and frustration, remain unclear. Afterwards, the director reveals that her reluctance to divorce stems from a lack of financial independence when Nora explains that securing their father’s inheritance would allow Maryam the means to leave. This storyline touches on a reality for many women who remain in unfulfilling marriages solely due to financial dependence. Ultimately, this perspective is fully realized by the film’s conclusion.
Despite the gravity of the subject matter, the bleak circumstances of the sisters’ lives, and the fierce resistance they face in claiming part of their rights, the director refrains from presenting the story as a purely tragic tale. Instead, a layer of lightheartedness emerges, largely through Nora’s biting sarcasm and unfiltered critique toward everyone she knows or objects to, doing so with natural ease and without forced affectation or exaggeration.
The director effectively builds a compelling evolving relationship between the two sisters. Their dynamic begins with a heated confrontation following their father’s death, during which they exchange criticisms and accusations. Gradually, however, this tension dissipates over their day-and-night journey to find someone to impersonate their father, culminating in their reconciliation and decision to live together in their father’s home. The strong, balanced performances of Yasmine Al-Masry and Clara Khoury bring this relationship to life, supported by their nuanced understanding of the sisters’ histories, personalities, and growth throughout the story.
The director began filming the movie prior to the Hamas attack on Israeli citizens in October 7 and the Israeli genocide against Palestinians that followed, which may have led to a sense of unease or guilt for addressing a social issue rather than the urgent tragedies affecting her people. This sentiment seems to manifest in a scene that appears hastily crafted, in which the two sisters, during their night journey, come across a group of young men gathered around a fire in the middle of the road. Through dialogue, we understand that these men are part of the resistance, a scene that seems intended to acknowledge the larger struggle despite the film’s social focus.
In the final sequence, Maryam’s eldest son confides in his aunt, revealing that his nightly absences are due to joining the resistance. These two scenes—distinct and seemingly disconnected from the film’s central narrative—interrupt its flow and might have been omitted, especially since production began before the recent war erupted. Overall, Thank You for banking with Us aligns with many Arab social films, particularly those focusing on women’s issues in the region. While the film employs a direct narrative and rhetorical tone, it strikes a balance, benefiting from strong, skilled performances that significantly enhance the quality of the final product.
Arwa Tag El Deen
Translated by: Rola Adel Rashwan
Edited by Yael Shuv
© FIPRESCI 2024