Leila Khaled, Hijacker documents the life of PFLP activist Leila Khaled, who achieved international notoriety with two airplane hijackings in 1969 and 1970. For filmmaker Makboul who grew up in Sweden, her teenage hero worship of the world’s first female hijacker served as the catalyst for her pursuit of the present-day Leila Khaled, a motherly but unrepentant 60-year-old who staunchly defends guerilla action in service of the Palestinian cause. In Makboul’s increasingly intimate conversations with Khaled, and in interviews with airline personnel, difficult questions elicit surprising answers.

In Swedish, Arabic, and English with English subtitles.

• Review by Maureen Murphy
• Chicago Reader capsule by Fred Camper