Speed Sisters (2015) Reviews

• Fantastic story of women breaking barriers and inside view of the Palestinian situation

  philmoore-125682015-05-29

  Speed Sisters follows a group of 4 women race car drivers with their manager navigating their way through the men's world of motor racing. It goes through their struggles with racing in general (funding, track strategy, race series rulings, etc) but involves the struggles of racing in a region where freedom of movement is restricted for some and not for others. The documentary has it's share of politics within the racing team, their families and religion. It also provides a direct (and unique from North American standards) perspective on the military occupation within the country of racing. Speed Sisters invites us into the exciting and challenging lives of the racers and provides a sober look into the lives of those in a country rife with constant military intervention. Enjoyable and informative!

• fascinating documentary offers insights into a Palestine we rarely see

  gregking42015-07-25

  It's rare to see women in the testosterone fueled world of racing cars, and even rarer to find females in the world of car racing in the patriarchal Arab world. But this fascinating documentary from first time feature director Amber Fares introduces us to four fast and furious females from Palestine who feel the need for speed and who live their passion as drift racers. Marah, Noor, Mona and Betty are the Middle East's first female team of drivers, and their manager is the equally formidable Maysoon. They had to overcome a lot of prejudice and entrenched tradition and societal expectations when they set out to prove themselves as race car drivers. Racing opened up a new world for them and their families and provided them with a number of opportunities they may otherwise not have had. Breaking down barriers, they are regarded as local heroes by some. They race under the auspices of the Palestinian Motor Sports and Motorcycle Federation, which was founded in 2005. Despite being the reigning champion, Marah is the more hot headed of the four and often clashes with the head of the Arab racing federation and has numerous problems with their rules. But the four also retain touches of their femininity through regular manicures, retail therapy and dreams of marriage and raising a family. Although they are friends, there is also a keen sense of rivalry amongst them as they compete to see who is the fastest. But Fares also takes us for a more intimate look at their personal lives and their families, who are supportive of the girls and their ambitions, and gives us some insights into Palestinian culture that we rarely see. Not just a sports documentary, Speed Sisters is also an exploration of gender roles, changing attitudes and society in the Arab world where some freedoms are curtailed. Revheads will enjoy the adrenaline charged car racing action, the smell of burning rubber. There is some beautiful cinematography from Fares herself and Lucy Martens, that gives us a strong sense of place. We get a glimpse of life in Palestine itself, a troubled city with its military checkpoints, its hideous wall that divides it, the regular patrols of soldiers, and the constant threat of attack and shelling from Israel.

• Okay

  ersbel2018-10-06

  I applaud the chosen subject. These are the feminists, not the politicians who get in through quotas. And it's an excellent choice because it shows that the faces might be different, and the language is different, but these people are as normal as any Westerner can be. Still, the story is crap. I see a chronology. But I have no relation with these women. It's just newsreels stitched together with some family footage life in between.

• Engaging & Interesting

  larrys32017-04-14

  An interesting documentary highlighting the first women's racing team in the Arab world. There are 5 young Palestinian women who comprise the team: Marah, Betty, Noor, Mona, and the Team Captain Maysoon. The film looks at each drivers' motivations for racing and how their families, neighbors, and the media feel about it. The group's races are actually races vs. time over an obstacle course where one wrong move can mean disqualification. At the end of the racing season, the top 2 women drivers will get to compete in Aqaba, Jordan in an international event. They'll be plenty of obstacles for the women to overcome, including trying to find training facilities or even go from one area to another under Israeli occupation (at one point they come under attack when they get too close to Israeli soldiers). Also, they must contend with a one person arbitrary racing authority, cost prohibitions, and even rivalries among the team itself. Overall, I found this documentary, directed by Amber Fares, to be engaging and I certainly learned a number of things that I had no knowledge of before.