This extraordinary documentary depicts a village's struggle against an ever-encroaching Israeli settlement, and the security barrier which deprives them of half their land. Briskly told, it contains visceral images of clashes between demonstrators and the Israeli army - the film- maker has really got in there, and often from behind and among the tear-gas wielding Israeli soldiers. Not just tear-gas; one casually shocking moment witnesses a Palestinian prisoner being shot in the leg by his Israeli captor, with other soldiers standing by his side. Another memorable episode, which Kafka might have appreciated, has the film-maker wakened by soldiers. His home has been declared to be within a Closed Military Zone, and therefore he has to stop filming.
Yet the law is not merely a tool of oppression; with the help of Israeli activists, the village successfully appeals to the Israeli Supreme Court to have the fence moved, so that the villagers may regain access to some of their land (even if the settlers have burned the olive trees on it). The film is co-directed by an Israeli, and it's claim to greatness lies in its often implicit depiction of the inextricable entwinement of Palestinian and Israeli lives. When the film-maker, in an accident that a fictional film would reject as overly symbolic, crashes into the wall, it is a Tel Aviv hospital that likely saves his life (although, not cheaply).
The film also focuses on the youngest of the film-maker's four sons. And we are left wondering: what happens to a child who has witnessed what he has witnessed?
Yet the law is not merely a tool of oppression; with the help of Israeli activists, the village successfully appeals to the Israeli Supreme Court to have the fence moved, so that the villagers may regain access to some of their land (even if the settlers have burned the olive trees on it). The film is co-directed by an Israeli, and it's claim to greatness lies in its often implicit depiction of the inextricable entwinement of Palestinian and Israeli lives. When the film-maker, in an accident that a fictional film would reject as overly symbolic, crashes into the wall, it is a Tel Aviv hospital that likely saves his life (although, not cheaply).
The film also focuses on the youngest of the film-maker's four sons. And we are left wondering: what happens to a child who has witnessed what he has witnessed?