‘Yalla Parkour’ Review: Well-Intentioned Gaza Parkour Doc Struggles to Reconcile the Stakes of Two Realities

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In the world of gaming, I recently immersed myself in Areeb Zuaiter’s thoughtful documentary, “Yalla Parkour,” which made its debut at DOC NYC back in 2024 and more recently graced the screens at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. This captivating production presents a unique form of narrative weaving that leaves me both inspired and pondering.

In the initial narrative, the director explores themes such as belonging and recollection. She communicates with her late mother regarding her Palestinian heritage, a connection she feels is fragile. The second strand serves as a contrast; here, Zuaiter narrates her friendship with Ahmed Matar, a Palestinian athlete who practices parkour within Gaza. This relationship reinforces the filmmaker’s attachment to her homeland, prompting queries about identity and the psychological effects of forced migration and conflict.

The results are a blend of powerful emotions. Yalla Parkour, the sole Palestinian film screened at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, navigates between touching introspections, penetrating observations, heartfelt scenes, and moments that seem overly profound. The lives of Zuaiter and Matar depict an unbalanced truth: she witnesses “death and destruction in Gaza” from the United States while he endures it. Although Zuaiter acknowledges this disparity, some parts of her documentary appear discordant because the pair initially grapple with distinct questions. Matar discusses parkour with great urgency and ponders his survival, proposing ways to escape from Gaza like many of his peers. Conversely, Zuaiter contemplates her cultural alienation and at one point states about Matar: “This might be the first time I met a Palestinian who didn’t focus on my accent or question my identity.

Maybe my hesitation towards the portrayal of “Yalla Parkour” – which seems like a blend of third-culture-kid memoir, sports documentary, and exploration of displacement – could stem from its release timing. Over the past year and a half, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been extensively documenting their hardships, with films such as “From Ground Zero” and “No Other Land” offering stark portrayals of the physical and mental strain caused by Israeli occupation. In many ways, “Yalla Parkour” is an intriguing film, particularly for its unique perspective on Gaza’s parkour community. However, at times it seems to grapple with finding a balance between its emotional narrative and the weighty issues associated with the empirical reality.

The movie begins with Zuaiter reminiscing about the sea of Gaza and her mother’s smile through a voiceover. For many years, these memories have brought her happiness, and she finds a parallel sense of joy in a video featuring Mohammed Aljakhbir, a parkour athlete from Gaza. When the video is paused on his smile, we notice it’s broad and proud, spreading contagious warmth.

In an upcoming scene, set in 2015, Zuaiter contacts Matar, who reveals to the director that Aljakhbir resides in Sweden. He departed Gaza in 2013 following an invitation to a competition in Italy and chose not to return. As their discussion unfolds, Matar discloses that he produces parkour videos, and views himself as a filmmaker. This revelation catches Zuaiter off guard and fosters a friendly bond between them.

In Yalla Parkour, a heartfelt friendship blossoms as we witness Zuaiter and Matar regularly video-calling from their homes on opposite ends of the globe. The movie integrates these recorded dialogues with clips of her working on a seascape painting, along with parkour videos. The narrative effortlessly transitions between their lives, gradually sketching two distinct yet intertwined realities. As Zuaiter gains more insights into Matar’s hardships in Gaza, she becomes increasingly aware of the risks he faces and the obstacles hindering his efforts to escape.

These findings invite us to consider a wider perspective on the impact of displacement throughout generations. Zuaiter notices similarities between Matar and her mother, both of whom departed from Palestine in maturity. The filmmaker remembers that the longing for the sea and the apparent unattainability of returning weighed heavily on her mother’s soul.

Yalla Parkour excels when Zuaiter allows the tales of both his mother and Matar to unfold independently, providing a stark portrayal of the enduring impact of nomadic existence. These narratives share a common theme of hardship, subtly reinforcing one another. Matar’s story, in particular, highlights the intricate challenges Palestinians encounter when attempting to move within their own borders or travel abroad. The process of acquiring visas and other travel documents is likened to an endless game of bureaucratic whack-a-mole.

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2025-02-25 01:24