Palestine’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar is an offbeat Gaza-set romance that finds an unlikely hero in an older man determined to live his fullest life.

Shy fisherman Issa has been pining for widow Siham, a dressmaker, for a long time. The 60-year-old’s life is lonely and monotonous: he sets out for sea at night and sells his modest catch at the street market by day, where his routine is punctuated by glimpses of the woman he desires at her neighbouring store. One night, the sea gives Issa more than just fish – a well-endowed bronze sculpture of the Greek god Apollo – and he is emboldened to finally tell Siham how he feels.

Written and directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser, and starring Hiam Abbass (Succession; Lemon Tree, MIFF 2008) as the captivating Siham, Gaza Mon Amour masterfully melds complex political issues with comedy. Palestinian authorities may put plenty of obstacles on Issa’s road to love, but the Nasser brothers’ use of absurd deadpan humour in the style of Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki stops proceedings from becoming too bleak. While the sound of gunfire and bombs is never far away, love and laughter blossom in this tender, affectionate film.

“Irresistibly charming … By exploring an aging man’s desire to find love in a dark place, Gaza Mon Amour becomes a fantastic film that both charms and breaks barriers.” – Cinema Escapist