“these are called coyotes. a mixed but endangered breed. less vicious than wolves. but if they don’t like you, they’ll tear you apart.”oh the irony! how any species, whether human or animal, can sense when an enemy is in their territory — thus, their survival instincts kick into action and ultimately, they must do so to protect themselves and prevent their loved ones from further danger. Said Zagha’s short Coyotes, captures one’s chilling and constant path of entrapment, because of their identity, morality, and physical appearance. Lubna (Maria Zreik), who just got off from her shift as a surgeon, drops off her partner Salma (Yumna Marwan), at her home before driving down the long winding road — and past a military checkpoint, to reach her destination. however, along the way, one of her tires was blown out and suddenly, a man (Ali Suliman) showed up to help fix them. a strange man and a woman, in the middle of nowhere — somewhere in the desolate wilderness and it’s very late at night… Lubna’s suspicions were raised and as for the man, he has an ulterior motive of his own. to me, the narrative was a little light, but the message is just as clear as ever: our leading lady (and many others) is being targeted and exploited for being queer, for her gender, and most importantly for being Palestinian — all in all, may that be a tire iron to use as a shield of resistance — all for living in fear and destruction.
