Sick of Israeli checkpoints , divorced Palestinian Muna (Nisreen Faour) and her son Fadi cross the Atlantic to ‘Amreeka’ to live with her sister’s family in Illinois.

Trouble is, it’s 2003: the Iraq War is on, Islamophobia is rampant and nobody cares that Muna and Fadi aren’t even Muslim. But Cherien Dabis’ bittersweet debut isn’t as heavyhanded as it sounds.

It’s charming and laidback, preferring wry, compassionate humour to politicking.

The culture cl🌊ash comedy cleaves to predictability but the story’s specificity sustains its perceptive look at the human impact of post-9/11 jingoism.