I have tried to build on a limited existing knowledge and keep myself informed. This is an overview, rather than an in-depth review, of some films that I think are informative. Some of them are cinematic and artistic in scope. All, I think, add greatly to the body of knowledge.
Before I start on the films, I would like to direct readers of TPQ to The Free State Podcast with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning. It is always worth listening to, but their coverage of the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza is excellent.
The Human Factor
I recently wrote about The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh, which I consider a brilliant film. Whilst listening to The Free State Podcast, I was interested in a documentary they discussed - The Human Factor which is currently on Netflix. This film is directed by Moreh, and utilises some of the cinematic turns that made The Gatekeepers compelling. Photographs are made into 3D landscapes featuring giants of American, Palestinian, and Israeli politics and diplomacy. The story unfolds in chronological order, and despite it being likely that the viewer knows how things go, it is still excruciating to witness opportunities for peace and dignity being squandered.
Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Yitzhak Rabin are not flawless individuals, but they were formidable statesman and exceptionally talented individuals with, I would argue, a genuine desire for peace and stability. This documentary delves into their personalities via interviews with prominent and important American negotiators and diplomats.
Whilst not the intended purpose of the documentary, it is impossible not to bear witness to the awesome diplomatic and political powerhouse that the USA was under Bill Clinton, and I couldn’t help compare it to the embarrassing and degraded entity it was under Donald Trump.
The malevolent role of Bibi Netanyahu is covered, and rightly so. There are also several frankly hilarious moments, as the “human factor” of vain politicians, and low-brow revolutionaries, are discussed.
One Day in September
This is an exceptional film, covering the abduction by Black September of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Commonwealth Games . I’ll get one major criticism out of the way first, which is the minimal attention given to the overall political situation that was (and still is) the backdrop to Palestinian acts of terrorism. Scant coverage is given to Israeli airstrikes which killed numerous civilians in a refugee camp.
The film has the pace of a thriller, and makes skilful use of music and archive footage. See here for Led Zep’s Immigrant Song. Deep Purple’s Child in Time provides the backdrop to one of the more harrowing parts of the film.
This film is particularly relevant to today, because of what Israel did following the attack. Whilst they did the usual and bombed civilians, killing many people with zero link to the attack, they also patiently tracked down and killed many of those responsible. This film covers that, and in a considerable coup, secures an interview with one of the surviving members of Black September (some say only) involved in the Olympic attack. There is no reason why Israel could not have done likewise following the 7th October attacks – bided their time, and tracked down and killed those responsible for the attacks. That they didn’t is, in my opinion, indicative of a weak frightened leader with a despotic cabinet.
One Day in September is not an easy film to find, but worth doing so. Quillers wishing to see it can get in touch with me, and I’ll try and sort something out.
Far more easy to find, but much less interesting, is the film Munich which covers the same events. It’s worth a watch, but isn’t a patch on the documentary.
Waltz With Bashir (2008)
Massaker (2004)
Both of these films cover the 1982 massacre at Sabra and Shatila, and both are notable in that they are not from the perspective of survivors, but instead either direct perpetrators (Massaker) or enablers (Waltz With Bashir).
Waltz With Bashir is centred around former IDF conscripts, and their struggle with remembering, let alone processing, their role in one of many Israeli military outrages. It is a watchable, sensitive film, with deep roots in the therapeutic process. It also contains an ending, which left me feeling like I had been physically assaulted.
Bashir is unique in that it is an animated documentary about significant historical events. This clip gives a flavour of how it works. It’s worth noting that that song is an anti-war song, one lyric not included in the film is “it was a nonsense.” Like On Day in September, this film contains pertinent lessons for Israeli politicians. Many of their young men were deeply damaged by what they did, allowed others to do, and witnessed. Another generation will be spawned as we speak.
Massaker should be a companion piece to Waltz With Bashir. Centred around interviews with six of the paramilitaries who entered the Sabra and Shatila camps, this is not a film for the faint-hearted. The men interviewed are barbaric low lives, their tattooed arms acting out in gesticulations the atrocities that they committed. One man explaining how throats were cut so that the victim “died several times” made me think of the likes of John White, Davy Payne, Lenny Murphy and “Cutlass” – men who stalked Belfast looking for members of a different tribe to knife them to death.
One of those interviewed, like Anwar Congo from The Act of Killing, seemed to have a degree of remorse. The rest didn’t. There isn’t even really much in the way of mitigation that they offer. They just wanted to murder, and some to rape.
I found both of these films unforgettable, and not really in a good way. That said, I recommend watching them.
Massaker is difficult to get a hold of, again, if anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll try and get you access.
Before I start on the films, I would like to direct readers of TPQ to The Free State Podcast with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning. It is always worth listening to, but their coverage of the unfolding catastrophe in Gaza is excellent.
The Human Factor
I recently wrote about The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh, which I consider a brilliant film. Whilst listening to The Free State Podcast, I was interested in a documentary they discussed - The Human Factor which is currently on Netflix. This film is directed by Moreh, and utilises some of the cinematic turns that made The Gatekeepers compelling. Photographs are made into 3D landscapes featuring giants of American, Palestinian, and Israeli politics and diplomacy. The story unfolds in chronological order, and despite it being likely that the viewer knows how things go, it is still excruciating to witness opportunities for peace and dignity being squandered.
Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Yitzhak Rabin are not flawless individuals, but they were formidable statesman and exceptionally talented individuals with, I would argue, a genuine desire for peace and stability. This documentary delves into their personalities via interviews with prominent and important American negotiators and diplomats.
Whilst not the intended purpose of the documentary, it is impossible not to bear witness to the awesome diplomatic and political powerhouse that the USA was under Bill Clinton, and I couldn’t help compare it to the embarrassing and degraded entity it was under Donald Trump.
The malevolent role of Bibi Netanyahu is covered, and rightly so. There are also several frankly hilarious moments, as the “human factor” of vain politicians, and low-brow revolutionaries, are discussed.
One Day in September
This is an exceptional film, covering the abduction by Black September of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Commonwealth Games . I’ll get one major criticism out of the way first, which is the minimal attention given to the overall political situation that was (and still is) the backdrop to Palestinian acts of terrorism. Scant coverage is given to Israeli airstrikes which killed numerous civilians in a refugee camp.
The film has the pace of a thriller, and makes skilful use of music and archive footage. See here for Led Zep’s Immigrant Song. Deep Purple’s Child in Time provides the backdrop to one of the more harrowing parts of the film.
This film is particularly relevant to today, because of what Israel did following the attack. Whilst they did the usual and bombed civilians, killing many people with zero link to the attack, they also patiently tracked down and killed many of those responsible. This film covers that, and in a considerable coup, secures an interview with one of the surviving members of Black September (some say only) involved in the Olympic attack. There is no reason why Israel could not have done likewise following the 7th October attacks – bided their time, and tracked down and killed those responsible for the attacks. That they didn’t is, in my opinion, indicative of a weak frightened leader with a despotic cabinet.
One Day in September is not an easy film to find, but worth doing so. Quillers wishing to see it can get in touch with me, and I’ll try and sort something out.
Far more easy to find, but much less interesting, is the film Munich which covers the same events. It’s worth a watch, but isn’t a patch on the documentary.
Waltz With Bashir (2008)
Massaker (2004)
Both of these films cover the 1982 massacre at Sabra and Shatila, and both are notable in that they are not from the perspective of survivors, but instead either direct perpetrators (Massaker) or enablers (Waltz With Bashir).
Waltz With Bashir is centred around former IDF conscripts, and their struggle with remembering, let alone processing, their role in one of many Israeli military outrages. It is a watchable, sensitive film, with deep roots in the therapeutic process. It also contains an ending, which left me feeling like I had been physically assaulted.
Bashir is unique in that it is an animated documentary about significant historical events. This clip gives a flavour of how it works. It’s worth noting that that song is an anti-war song, one lyric not included in the film is “it was a nonsense.” Like On Day in September, this film contains pertinent lessons for Israeli politicians. Many of their young men were deeply damaged by what they did, allowed others to do, and witnessed. Another generation will be spawned as we speak.
Massaker should be a companion piece to Waltz With Bashir. Centred around interviews with six of the paramilitaries who entered the Sabra and Shatila camps, this is not a film for the faint-hearted. The men interviewed are barbaric low lives, their tattooed arms acting out in gesticulations the atrocities that they committed. One man explaining how throats were cut so that the victim “died several times” made me think of the likes of John White, Davy Payne, Lenny Murphy and “Cutlass” – men who stalked Belfast looking for members of a different tribe to knife them to death.
One of those interviewed, like Anwar Congo from The Act of Killing, seemed to have a degree of remorse. The rest didn’t. There isn’t even really much in the way of mitigation that they offer. They just wanted to murder, and some to rape.
I found both of these films unforgettable, and not really in a good way. That said, I recommend watching them.
Massaker is difficult to get a hold of, again, if anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll try and get you access.
⏩ Brandon Sullivan is a middle aged, middle management, centre-left Belfast man. Would prefer people focused on the actual bad guys.
If anyone is wanting to do something small but effective to help those in Gaza, and has a few quid spare, Tony Groves at www.tortoiseshack.ie has found a way to purchase and distribute eSIM cards, which means Gazans can communicate with the world during Israeli induced blackouts.
ReplyDeleteA man named Zak used the eSIM he got this way to send a terrified and impassioned voicenote to TortoiseShack pleading with Irish people to pressure their government to pressure Joe Biden into calling off the Israeli onslaught. Zak recorded it immediately after an airstrike, and the panic and fear of those around him was blatant.
An eSIM costs $27, and a contribution can be sent via PayPal to info@tortoiseshack.ie
I've donated a bit, and send a few quid to Medicins Sans Frontiers. Also Emailed my MP, for all the good that that will do.
I think this type of piece helps direct people to a better understanding of the complex dynamics at play in the region. Biden - when the US is not ignoring genocide it is sponsoring it. The West might well take a legitimacy hit over its endorsement of genocidal policies. Its cheat beating over Ukraine is hollow bleating.
ReplyDelete5 Broken Cameras (2012) by Ermad Burnat and Guy Davidi is very good and Gaza (2019) by Gary Keane and Andrew McConnell is also excellent.
ReplyDeleteI would encourage people to watch The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003) which although being about the coup against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela warns against the power of Western media to corrupt the truth if not downright lie about a situation. It is a fly-on-the-wall documentary and the Irish film makers were front and central to the action, often in Chavez's company.