Brilliant and touching

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

This is a 20-minute film from 2005 that won director and writer Ari Sandel an Academy Award. He wasn't too prolific in the last 10 years, but just had a pretty successful full feature movie at theaters this year again. Anyway, "West Bank Story" is as you may have guessed from the title a tale loosely based on the classic "West Side Story". It takes place on the Middle East and focuses in a funny manner on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The countries are represented by two falafel stands here who are competing against each other for the customers. Not much later, the girl from one stand falls in love with the boy from another. The male lead actor has not acted that much recently, more gone into writing it seems. I really did like his voice though. He made this actually a pretty good musical with his singing. The female lead actress is much more famous. You may have seen her on Charlie Sheen's "Anger Management" where she played a major character. She was still very young when "West Bank Story" was made. Looks-wise she fit the character nicely, but her role did not really demand and great acting. All in all, I enjoyed it. It's a witty creative tale on the whole Middle East Conflict that is pretty unique. This film can also be an inspiration for young filmmakers that a smart idea and solid execution can be enough to even win an Oscar. Recommended.

Ari Sandel was a film student when he directed and co-wrote this amazing short film. Despite this less than impressive pedigree, the film ended up winning the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for 2006 and is among the best shorts I have ever seen--and I've seen a lot!! Considering the title, it wasn't too surprising that this film is a gentle and funny parody of WEST SIDE STORY. However, instead of being set in New York, it's on the West Bank and instead of the Sharks and Jets, the two warring groups are Palestinians and Jews. Despite the seriousness of the problems in Israel and the occupied territories, I was happily surprised that the film was NOT heavy-handed and it was in fact very, very funny. It was a gentle spoof of the problems and hatreds and unless someone is a humorless idiot, there is a lot to love in the film.Of course there is a girl and a boy (just like in Romeo and Juliet) caught in the struggle--but instead of Capulettes and Montagues or Sharks and Jets, it's a struggle between rival fast food joints--the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut! The hats, the dialog, the songs all work together perfectly to create the mood and pull the viewer into the film.Not at all surprisingly, this film won the Oscar but I also felt a bit sad for the losers that year, as HELMER & SON and ONE TOO MANY were also amazingly good (and funny) short films.My advice is to see all of these films--they are included in the DVD "A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films"--a must-have for fans of the genre. Also, keep your eye out for Ari Sandel--that guy is going places and I can't wait to see what he does next! 10 out of 10--my very highest rating.

Although it lasts just 22 minutes, "West Bank Story" does a beautiful job of entertaining and educating the audience. The backdrop of the West Bank is a perfect setting for this poignant, playful take on the traditional "Romeo and Juliet" story. It is clear that all involved with this film paid great attention to detail; from the costumes to the cinematography to the conversations, every element is vividly and engagingly conveyed. The satirical spins on Shakespeare, the musical genre, the ongoing political and ideological conflicts in the Middle East, and even the fast food industry make this a must-see. "WBS" was one of the true highlights of Sundance 2005...kudos to cast and crew on a job very well done. I made sure I was one of the first in line to add this short to my collection when it was released on DVD!

This film is hilarious! I just returned from the Sundance Film Festival, which is where I saw the film, and it got a great response from everyone in the audience. The cheers at the end were so loud, I was actually expecting a standing ovation. I attended the festival as an intern with the co-founders of the Harry M. Warner Film Institute. We're holding our first annual film festival this spring, and we went out to Sundance to see some films and get some more experience with festivals in general. After this show, both of my supervisors were so impressed that they approached the director of this film to see if he would be willing to submit a film to our festival. If you haven't seen this film yet, you are definitely missing out.