Lack of good storyline.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Actually that is not true, but it does have a premise that is easy to relate to and if you have the quality writing engage the viewer to be interested in the story. And this has the quality to pull it off. It's not an easy movie to watch, though that doesn't mean, we don't get lighter scenes too.Of course the conflict is there and the characters have to deal with a history, that is so complex that one movie alone could not do justice to it all. You have to really engage this open minded and not blinded by one side and see one side as bad or worse than the other. This is a human story after all and it plays out like that. You really feel for the main characters and their struggle, something the movie is really adamant on showing the viewer ...

This movie has many good points and one obvious flaw. The good points are its production, acting and story. Dancing Arabs captures perfectly the Israel of each time it portrays and the two solitudes that Jews and Arabs live in. Israeli Arabs and Jews may have lived in the same land for 50 years (the years portrayed) but still don't trust or even respect each other. Today, the situation is even worse. That is the main message of the movie and the message comes across well and relatively unbiased.The flaw that keeps it from receiving a higher rating from me is the ending. It's fair enough that Eyad tries to escape the discrimination that Israeli Arabs suffer by taking the identity of his Jewish friend, Yonatan who dies from ALS. It's clever enough to "kill" Eyad by burying Yonatan as Eyad the Arab. Edna, Yonatan's mother goes along with this in her grief to have a son. The book must have some other tricks to make the deception work because people don't die in Israel without an official death certificate being registered. With Yonatan officially dead on state computers, Eyad would be caught sometime down the road when he tried to transact some kind of official business.My bet is that he would be caught on his way out of Israel to resume his German studies by the army's computer checking to see if he had done his National Service. The real Yonatan would have had an exemption because of his disability yet there he would be walking around ben Gurion Airport with a knapsack. This would not compute. I need to read the book to see how the author got around that one.

In my mind, this movie was well acted, but I just can't get over one major plot hole that for me turns this movie into a work of total make believe. Please read the other reviews for a recap of the story line. I understand Eyad borrows his friend Yonatan's identity so he can find a better job, and he does. Yonatan's mother discovers the "borrowed identity" and is okay with it.So far, even I am okay with it. But, people do not live totally in a bubble, especially in Israeli society. Yonatan's mom must have some other relatives who are concerned about her son's health. And even if there is not one relative, Israeli neighbors can be quite close. Not one neighbor inquires about Yonatan? Not one other classmate cares to ask about Yonatan. According to this movie, the mom and Eyad (now Yonatan) conspire to get Yonatan buried as Eyad. Yes, of course, I should have seen this coming. This Jewish mom allows her son to be buried as Eyad. No family members or neighbors attend, because the burial is not in Israel, it is in Fantasyland.I do want to say this movie does some good things. It looks at relationships and beliefs and family pressures both Jews and Arabs face. It shows Jews and Arabs do get along on certain levels. Some of the characters were a bit cartoonish for me, but others were done with compassion and thought. It is a difficult subject, but I simply cannot get past the permanent identity change and the burial scene.

The Israeli film "Dancing Arabs" was shown in the U.S. as "A Borrowed Identity." It was directed by Eran Riklis. The movie stars Tawfeek Barhom as Eyad, a Palestinian boy who is an Israeli citizen. Although his plight isn't as bad as a non-Israeli Palestinian, he is nonetheless a second-class citizen. (Palestinian citizens work in restaurants as dishwashers. Jewish citizens work as waiters.)Despite being Palestinian, Eyad is allowed to attend a prestigious Israeli boarding school. Naturally, he's the target of racial slurs, but he isn't physically injured, and he moves forward toward adulthood. As part of a class assignment, he meets Jonathan (Michael Moshonov), a young man who has progressive muscular dystrophy. He also meets an Israeli girl, Naomi, played by Daniel (Danielle) Kitsis. Naomi is intelligent and loving, but the question is whether their relationship has a future, because of their cultural and religious differences.The plot moves in unexpected directions, and the movie is emotionally powerful and gripping. The acting is excellent, and I think the plot represents a balanced picture of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as it plays out among individuals.We saw this movie at the Little Theatre in Rochester, as part of the highly successful Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. The film will work well on the small screen.