Made in Chicago, this independent video about transcending cultural narrowness suffers from its artificial setup—an African-American woman and a recently emigrated Palestinian housewife meet by chance and become friends—but its sensitive execution makes it well worth seeing. The dialogue, written by director Brigid Maher based on the actors’ improvisations, is exquisitely balanced: both women have to overcome their biases, and when they argue with their mates, each party contributes to the miscommunication. In some scenes, such as the opening, Maher presents the dialogue without showing the speakers, giving their words an evocativeness that’s rare in conventional narrative. With Janie Khoury and Ida Smith. 70 min.
