It Must Be Heaven
A nearly silent Palestinian filmmaker wanders through Paris and New York, turning displacement and cultural absurdity into meticulously observed deadpan comedy.
Overview
A journey through absurdity and cultural identity unfolds as one man seeks a place to call home.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- deadpan
- eerie
- arthouse film night
- festival cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an entrancing, poignant, and absurd return to form for Elia Suleiman, with dry visual comedy carrying its political observations.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Elia Suleiman plays E.S. as a largely silent observer whose reactions and physical presence organize the film's comic episodes.
E.S. travels from Nazareth to Paris and New York, encountering different forms of public behavior and alienation.
The film portrays Palestinian ghettoisation and the difficulty of representing Palestine through understated visual satire.
E.S. travels to promote his movie, while questions about whether it is sufficiently Palestinian shape his encounters in Europe and America.
Films like It Must Be Heaven, and why
Playtime
deadpan visual comedy, observational absurdity, and nearly wordless social satire
The General
quiet physical comedy, minimalist storytelling, and an outsider navigating modern urban life
Paterson
poetic absurdism, sparse dialogue, and politically charged observation of everyday behavior
The Visitor
stylized deadpan comedy used to examine displacement, alienation, and social absurdity
Movie Details
- Director
- Elia Suleiman
- Release Date
- 2019-12-04
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (183)
Cast
- Elia Suleiman
- Ali Suliman
- Gael García Bernal
- Stephen McHattie
- Kwasi Songui
- Grégoire Colin
- Holden Wong
- Alain Dahan
- Vincent Maraval
- Sébastien Beaulac
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is It Must Be Heaven about?
- A nearly silent Palestinian filmmaker wanders through Paris and New York, turning displacement and cultural absurdity into meticulously observed deadpan comedy.
- What is It Must Be Heaven like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of It Must Be Heaven as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is It Must Be Heaven violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in It Must Be Heaven.
- What did critics think of It Must Be Heaven?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an entrancing, poignant, and absurd return to form for Elia Suleiman, with dry visual comedy carrying its political observations.
- Which films are like It Must Be Heaven?
- Films with a similar feel include Playtime, The General, Paterson, and The Visitor.
- How long is It Must Be Heaven?
- It Must Be Heaven runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch It Must Be Heaven?
- In United States, It Must Be Heaven is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
