The film’s only location is an unassuming community center in mixed-population Hadera, but that’s just the physical, neutral setting. As we get to know these generations-spanning Israeli women and see what their cameras reveal, worlds open, and the reality of constraint in their lives becomes apparent. That duality is in the title : It’s pointed out early on that while “sabaya” in Arabic usually means “group of young women,” it’s also a term that can convey “prisoner of war.
Tough, glamorous Palestinian lawyer Nasrin recalls her longing to sing, while cheerful upper-class Jewish mom Eti always wanted to be a film star. Though Nasrin and Eti have the class’s first tense exchange — sparked by a comment exposing Eti’s privilege and prejudice about Muslims — they don’t let it deter the work of the class, or affect later, friendlier interactions when the exercises get more soul-bearing.