Tödliche Strömungen

When released, this may have been a particularly revelatory documentary on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. But viewed today, I found little new information that gave me any deeper insights into the situation than I had before.

This film is filled with talking heads endlessly opining about the conflict. Some of these opinions, such as when a scholar compares the situation to John Wayne or Gary Cooper walking into a bar, are laughable. I was disappointed with the comparatively less time spent on showing the actual conflict itself. Talking heads can be seen on television all the time - the potential strength of a film like this is to show us the goings on that aren't normally seen. At times, they do this to good effect. There are some moving moments, but they are few and far between.

There are one or two montages done to songs by then-contemporary singers from the Israel/Palestine area. While the images are interesting, the songs are cheesy and have rudimentary lyrics. This is typical of the dated feel of this film.

If you're particularly interested in this topic, go ahead and check out the film. But otherwise, you're better off looking elsewhere.