Huda's Salon

Name: Huda's Salon
Genre: Thriller
Released: March 4, 2022
Duration: 91 min
Rating: 69
Cast: Ali Suliman, Kamel El Basha, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Manal Awad, Omar Abu Amer

2022

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Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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6.0

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Huda's Salon: Choosing The Girls

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: March 4, 2022 | R

Starring: Ali Suliman, Kamel El Basha, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Manal Awad, Omar Abu Amer, Samer Bisharat

Summary: Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem. But this ordinary visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to have her work for the secret service of the occupiers, and thus betray her people.

Director: Hany Abu-Assad

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 91 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Carlos Aguilar

Sep 18, 2021

Strikingly bold in its dramatic construction, and adept at folding the macro issues into the lives of everyday residents of a tumultuous area of the world, “Huda’s Salon” is contained inside an expertly paced plot that seems ready to combust at any second. Read full review

Liam Lacey

Mar 3, 2022

The complicated part of Huda’s Salon, and the riskiest in terms of holding the audience, is that this is actually the story of two women: Not just Reem, but that of the salon keeper, Huda. Read full review

Bilge Ebiri

Mar 4, 2022

Abu-Assad has made his share of films about the cruel absurdity of life under Israeli occupation, but here he lets all sides have it Read full review

Wendy Ide

Sep 18, 2021

A brisk and efficient thriller ... This combination of moral quandary and ticking clock peril makes for a bracing, if occasionally didactic, political drama. Read full review

Tomris Laffly

Mar 4, 2022

On the whole, Abu-Assad is less successful in braiding the respective tales of Reem and Huda through Eyas Salman’s editing. But eventually the seams show and clumsy jumps between the two locations feel strangely episodic, losing Huda’s Salon some of the urgency it has claimed in its earlier moments. Read full review

Andrew Crump

Mar 2, 2022

Huda’s Salon uses strong thread to sew its dual narratives together, but “together” is all they are. They don’t cohere or complement each other save for providing two distinct paths into Abu-Assad’s exploration of Palestinian identity and life, contextualized in women’s experiences as members of a patriarchal society. Read full review

Aparita Bhandari

Sep 11, 2021

Although the film doesn’t fully deliver on the political-thriller element, it asks some powerful questions: How does violence become intimate, blurring the line of morals and ethics? Read full review

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User Reviews

alanpotter17

Dec 21, 2022

O filme tem o mérito de começar super bem, com uma quebra de expectativa que muda repentinamente para o clima claustrofóbico.
No entanto, não consegue se manter, a disputa entre a Resistência e o serviço secreto ficaram pela superfície, enquanto o roteiro caminha pra algo absolutamenteO filme tem o mérito de começar super bem, com uma quebra de expectativa que muda repentinamente para o clima claustrofóbico.
No entanto, não consegue se manter, a disputa entre a Resistência e o serviço secreto ficaram pela superfície, enquanto o roteiro caminha pra algo absolutamente previsível.
Ainda assim, serve como registro de um país tomado pela guerra civil, e consegue pôr em destaque o papel da mulher de forma bem singela.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Brent_Marchant

Apr 5, 2022

For the residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, everyday life is often difficult enough by itself. But, for the women of this repressed society, it can be doubly challenging due to the intimidation and scrutiny inflicted by both government authorities and am often-archaicFor the residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, everyday life is often difficult enough by itself. But, for the women of this repressed society, it can be doubly challenging due to the intimidation and scrutiny inflicted by both government authorities and am often-archaic patriarchal culture, conditions that frequently paint them into uncomfortable corners and leave them with nothing but poor choices. When the Israeli secret police blackmail a middle-aged beauty salon owner into getting her to work for them when she's caught cheating on her husband, she reluctantly agrees to cooperate. She's tasked with recruiting young women to act as informants by drugging them and photographing them in staged compromising positions. With such "evidence" hanging over them, the recruits are coerced into supplying information about the Palestinian resistance in exchange for government silence and paltry tokens of appreciation. But, when the resistance gets wind of what's going on, the salon owner and her recruits are now squarely placed between being exposed as either "cheating spouses" or traitors to their society -- and always by men, regardless of which side they're on. Director Hany Abu-Assad's fact-based, taut sociopolitical thriller thus showcases the twin dilemmas faced by Palestinian women living in a state of siege both from the state and in terms of gender. Told through twin story threads involving the salon owner and one of her recruits (brilliantly portrayed by Manal Awad and Maisa Abd Elhadi, respectively), the film explores its central issues with an edge-of-your-seat quality, moving along at a brisk pace and effectively creating a palpable degree of tension as the narrative plays out. There are times when the dialogue in one of the threads becomes a little heavy-handed and cliched, but, beyond that, there's little to detract from the picture's well-conceived and thoughtful story and script. It even throws in a touch of deliberate ambiguity to illustrate the lack of faith that women frequently experience in a system that makes a lot of promises that can't be fully trusted. Most of all, though, this offering effectively shows that the circumstances in this situation are impacted by influences that go beyond simple, black-and-white politics, carrying ramifications far wider and deeper than what most of us know about.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Mar 8, 2022

This film starts with 2 women in a Bethlehem hair salon, but quickly turns dark, when one of them blackmails the other for political reasons. This setup heads the film in a disturbing direction, promising the potential for a taught thriller. It plays out in 2 parallel stories: Huda confrontsThis film starts with 2 women in a Bethlehem hair salon, but quickly turns dark, when one of them blackmails the other for political reasons. This setup heads the film in a disturbing direction, promising the potential for a taught thriller. It plays out in 2 parallel stories: Huda confronts her enemy captors, while the victim desperately attempts to avoid being exposed. They unfold simultaneously, but not with the same effect. Huda's two-hander basically tries to add humanity to both side's plight, but the tension never materializes. The mother's plight generates mild anxiety, but also doesn't develop with enuff dramatic force. This film's potential for a potent message as a thriller never delivers with sufficient punch on either aspect. (Arabic with subtitles)… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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