Based on the true story of Mohammed Assaf, a wedding singer from Gaza who went on to win Arab Idol, this jubilant air punch of a movie works best in the initial stages, when Assaf’s backstory is established. Kinetically shot, and edited with a restless adolescent attention span, the film captures a scrappy gang of kids – Mohammed, his tomboy sister Nour and their two friends – who dream of musical stardom even as they scrabble for the money to buy instruments. The second part, which piggybacks on the manufactured thrills of the talent show, is less convincing. However, Tawfeek Barhom, in the central role, is an intense and magnetic presence.
