Say hello to Personal Affairs, which is screening as part of Cannes' Un Certain Regard section. This first feature from writer-director Maha Haj is awfully slight -- it's more of a series of anecdotes than an ensemble piece -- but its gentle modesty turns out to be among its major assets. In the film, one Palestinian family copes with different dilemmas, and if none of it is particularly monumental, that's OK. My review is up at Screen International.
