94m, documentary, 2011, Arabic/Hebrew
A painfully slow watch. Part of the difficulty lies in the complexity of the Palestine conflict. The inhabitants of a small village valiantly resist the encroachment by Israeli builders over several years. The non violent agitation is brutally suppressed by tear gas, bullets and beatings and many are killed or injured. But the picture created is nuanced with the Israeli not quite unqualified devils. "The film should be taken for what it is, and the piece of reality that this film is showing should not be confused with the whole reality, such as part of the truth does not equal the whole truth."The story is filmed by a farmer turned documenteer of a reality surrounding him and engulfing his own family. In the process he loses a number of cameras to the violent suppression. This is a moving account of a community trapped in unending political strife and standing up with modest heroism to a powerful military force. The story is all the more poignant as we see growing children and women caught in the this ugly fray.
A O Scott:
A O Scott:
"...a visual essay in autobiography and, as such, a modest, rigorous and moving work of art..."
2 comments:
I watched it again with "The Gatekeepers" several weeks ago - it was a very interesting experience to say the least.
Certainly time well spent but requires concentrated attention since it is not designed to entertain but to inform and awaken. It's a first person experience, an auto-cumentary.
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