“Divine Intervention” is painstakingly slow. Dialogue comes in short bursts, edits are few and far between, and the camera largely remains stationary. Even the narrative doesn’t progress that fluidly, rather, it jumps around between various vignettes, capturing different perspectives of Palestinian life. It’s through this snail-like nonlinearity, though, that director Elia Suleiman forces the audience to sit through the Palestinian experience, simultaneously portraying both the absurd and tragedy of life under Israeli occupation.

Released in 2002, the main story line weaves together the largely disconnected sketches following a man living in the city of Nazareth trying to meet with his girlfriend in Ramallah, constantly interrupted by police checkpoints on the way there. Their relationship is representative of how the military affects everyday life, a theme that’s echoed in the rest of the film’s characters, who often face oppression and disruption from Israeli settlers. The situations range from realistically mundane to comedically ridiculous, venturing into the fantastical in its last moments. Whatever the case, Suleiman’s deadpan approach to filmmaking creates sequences that invite both empathy and laughter.

More than two decades later, “Divine Intervention” is more important than ever. As Palestinian death tolls continue to increase, Suleiman’s decision to focus his film on the humans of Palestine is one that transcends time. It’s a reminder that their lives are more than statistics or casualties of historical events; that each person had their own lives and human experiences full of love, tragedy and everything in between.

When three Lebanese friends Sélim Mourad, Jihad Saade and Rhea El Khoury set out to make a documentary, they had one question in mind: “How can we depict Lebanon in this specific moment in time?” The answer comes in the form of “The Shapes of Normal Human Beings,”an eight chapter portrait of the Lebanese population, filled with interviews of people reflecting on culture, politics, romance and all aspects of life. Interlaced in between these interviews is narration from the filmmakers, themselves posing questions and contemplating their own lives.

While Mourad, Saade and El Khoury encounter stories of misfortune and struggle, it’s particularly impressive that they don’t let sadness define their film. Instead, the trio highlights the beauty in its stories. A mother wants the best for her children, a couple recounts how they met and another explains when they first found out they were going to have a child; all tales captured with endless earnestness and raw emotion.

“The Shapes of Normal Human Beings” never provides a clear answer for its premier question, instead it presents something deeply human. The theme of separation of culture and government lies beneath the surface throughout the entire documentary; interviewees express their disdain for the political state of the country while expressing love for the land and its people. In the last chapter, as the filmmakers sit at a dinner table with family, it’s evident that the answer to depicting Lebanon lies in the relationships people have with their family and community.

A single glimpse at any of the frames in “East of Noon” instantly reveals director Hala Elkoussy’s mastery of visual storytelling. The accomplished Egyptian visual artist only ventured into film in 2017 with her debut feature “Cactus Flower,” a process which she enjoyed enough to start on a second feature, which premiered in 2024 at the Cannes film festival. A timeless, dream-like fable, “East of Noon” follows Abdo and Nunna, two teenagers who dream of escaping oppression through their love and passion for creation.

In a Q&A session screened after the film, Elkoussy explained the processing of the movie’s 16mm black and white film, which involved reviving a long defunct processing store in Cairo. With great pride, she explained how the store is still running, with younger artists coming in to expand their own work. In many ways, this love for revitalizing art is echoed in Abdo, who plays music throughout the film to fight against authoritarianism in his life. Both in the making and the narrative of the movie, Elkoussy pens a love letter to the younger generation and their ability to shape the future through passion. She does it all while capturing consistently mesmerizing images, filled with iconography of Middle Eastern ornaments, furniture and fashion, furthering the movie’s appreciation for art. In its most memorable moments, “East of Noon” dips into the abstract and absurd, pushing boundaries on traditional storytelling. While the picture sometimes gets lost in its experimental thematic and visual attempts, losing sight of the narrative, it remains a fascinating work that leaves plenty of room for interpretation during and after its runtime.