Jenin, Jenin

One of the best documentaries i have seen. Engages both sides to allow the viewer to freely make his opinion without coercion or bias. The director simply allows those who lived that time to tell their story and let the facts stand on their own. Gives the foreign viewer a unique look at the seeds of the conflicts as never addressed before in other movies. Written in a nice witty manner. Enjoyed every second of it. The script is supported with lots of never seen visual footage. It brings us back to a period of time which gives us the hind sight of 20/20. The director allows both sides to bring several points of view. A very critical time in the arab israel history and this DVD clears much of the controversy that prevailed.

In 2002, April 3rd through 12th, the population OF Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp and home to some 14 000 people living under strict military curfew, was exposed to a merciless assault by Israeli soldiers, tanks, armored bulldozers, and helicopters. Much of the camp was shot and blown to hell, while an area the size of several football fields in the centre of town was completely leveled, purportedly the gravesite of many hundreds of people. That is the clear aftermath. The exact details of the occupation are still debated, accounts varying from "the Palestinians asked for it" (Israel) to claims of generally bloodthirsty behavior on the part of Israeli soldiers (Palestinians, Red Cross workers, and just about any outsider who's visited the site). "Jenin Jenin" is a documentary lending voice to Jenin's survivors wishing to participate in that debate (which ended up costing it's director his life).

Through "Jenin Jenin", you'll take a stroll though the rubble. You'll listen to shattered people give accounts of brutal murder of their kin that are so horrid, you'll have trouble believing them because you cannot wrap your mind around such carnage being perpetrated by mere men. Except that at one point, you'll see footage apparently shot during the occupation -- footage of captives lined up on the ground and run down by an armoured vehicle. You'll see a young girl with a disturbing cold gaze, and come to understand just how deep her hate for Israel already runs. Ten years old at most, she pledges to do all she can to destroy Israeli lives.

In the end, you'll either declare it all bulls**t, believe the Israeli claims that whatever happened, the Palestinians asked for it, and I'll call you a flaming moron, or you'll want to do something about it but find you can't, your government won't, and you'll hate the world.

This film does mostly what it intends: From the inside of Jenin it documents the Jenin inhabitants tragedies with losses of family members and the struggle against an occupation force. It does not, however, documents the objective FACTS and the objective truth of the events occurred, but merely the facts and truth for the Jenin inhabitants. (If at all such truth about the Jenin event exists?!)

After having seen this movie my knowledge of the event are not much greater, but my knowledge of the stress Palestinians undergo have been greatly enhanced. One has to be very cold-hearted not to feel empathy with people interviewed in this movie, and therefore I rate this movie 8 of 10. Simply because it works.

But notice: If you are watching this movie ONLY for political reasons, remember also to view movies that displays the stress and sorrow for Israeleans victims.

To understand a conflict, is to understand all sides of it.

Is this a worth while movie to watch?

Just by looking at all the attempts to play it down in various ways by Israelis and friends should indicate that THERE IS SOMETHING REALLY WORTH WHILE taking part of!!! "It's false, fabricated, hatred, one sided and anti-semitic, funded by PLO" they all cry out together joining the ranks with the Isreali Minstery of Foregin Affaris which has published an article "Seven Lies About Jenin" about the movie. That if ANYTHING is a sign that EVERYONE should watch it!

For an Israeli land grabbing, killings, road blocks, invasion and PR cover-ups are all just for the "war" of survival. ANYTHING that questions that method and politics is a treat, anti- semitic and hateful.

but don't take my word for it! SEE THE MOVIE and then make up your own mind! get EDUCATED on all sides of the "holy land"! and don't stop on one side - cross the boarder and hear the arguments from the other side. EITHER OR, SEE THIS MOVIE!

no love without no heart. no heart without respect. no respect without justice. no justice comes from occupation!

: maria

The movie has reached court discussion wherein it has been established it is full of manipulation, lies, fake footage, intentional edits mixed from various sources a d blunt staged/transcribed lies.

Its creator is now sued for libel.

Worthless, manipulative, dishonest and full of lies.