Director Muayad Alayan’s Conversation with the Sea has a story that comes from true events. A man of Palestinian heritage, he has a family member who has to prove other members’ deaths. Otherwise, their debts to social security grow, adding to regular debts that are part of life. Such is the case for protagonist Kamal. Kamel El Basha plays the man mourning his son Wael. 

Alayan’s story takes viewers to Ilat, where Wael died two decades before Conversations‘ events take place. Reinvestigating Wael’s death means having to navigate the Occupation’s thefts and the protests against it. Helping him sometimes is a lawyer (Amer Hlehel), who is patient with Kamal’s difficult behaviour. His behaviour also makes his daughter Wafa (Bahira Ablassi) keep her distance until it does not.

Making films under occupation is no easy task – for the most part, this is successful. Al-Quds plays itself, although sometimes, Bayt Lahm and Ramallah substitute for a multi state capital. Most street scenes look great, as it even choreographs an Ally protest against an Occupier. Part of Kamal’s investigation in Conversations is him walking around Al-Quds which looks great at night.

Part of Kamal’s sleuthing involves a mystery Occupier who allegedly was with him during death. This means having to encounter Occupiers as supporting characters, which, sure, no one likes them. However, the dialogue that the screenplay gives them are robotic if not straight up caircaturish. Most scenes in Conversation with the Sea, though, work as long as it has core characters.