HOMEWARD BOUND The Perils of Duty and Palestinian Society in Annemarie Jacir’s Wajib

It should come as no surprise that Annemarie Jacir’s Palestinian family dramedy, Wajib (2017), revolves around obligation. The title translates, after all, to ‘duty’ – in this case, the Palestinian custom that a father and son, Abu Shadi and Shadi (played by real-life father and son Mohammed and Saleh Bakri), hand-deliver invitations to the wedding of Amal (Maria Zreik), their daughter and sister, respectively. More broadly, Jacir’s film – operating in a lightly satirical tone throughout – examines the familial, cultural and social obligations associated with duty, tying this together into a direct interrogation of idealism and realism in modern Palestine.

Wajib’s narrative, which unfolds as Christmas approaches in Nazareth, assumes an episodic nature as Abu Shadi and Shadi travel from household to household. Jacir’s screenplay maintains audience interest with a string of riveting interludes, but each chapter exists in service of developing both character arcs – Abu Shadi and Shadi gradually discard contrived personas constructed over an extended separation – and a political thesis, with Jacir’s film scrutinising the challenges of maintaining coherent politics within and without tumultuous Nazareth.

Duty and hypocrisy

First and foremost, Wajib operates as a lighthearted social satire. At its Sydney Film Festival screening, it invited frequent laughter – primarily directed at its