O Príncipe Verde

Mosab Hassan Yousef is the eldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a leader of Hamas. He is caught running guns at 17 and imprisoned by the Israelis. He is shocked to find Hamas torturing people suspected of being informers. Israel's security service Shin Bet is able to recruit him and Gonen Ben Yitzhak becomes his handler.

I didn't know anything about this story before watching this movie. I honestly figured that this is a fictionalized account with actors for the first half hour. The style is very plain with Mosab and Gonen talking straight into the camera. The story is so compelling that it is utterly riveting. I do wonder why he did what he did. He gives explanations and hints but I'm not sure if there is something more.

I don't know how I found this, or why I watched it, but I'm glad I did.

> It's a true story, and it's got mystery, betrayal of many kinds, and in the last place you'd expect, it has love and admiration. It shocked and surprised me in many ways. If given the chance, Hollywood writers couldn't have written a better story than this true one.

> All I can say is, that if you think this isn't the type of doc you usually like, or dismiss it for any other reason, don't. It's not something I normally watch and would dismiss it without another thought, but I didn't for some weird reason and I'm so glad I did. Just watch it.

Mosab Hassan Yousef is a son of one of the founding fathers of the Palestinian group Hamas. He grew up in the shadow of Israel's occupation and the shadow of his fathers fight and rhetoric. He was the heir apparent and decided to take up the armed struggle. This got him arrested and in the grips of the Israelis.

He was then interrogated by the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Service) and they tried to turn him, he was still sent to prison. He then ended up working for the Shin Bet and this is his story. Now this is a basic documentary with interviews to camera from Mosab and Gonen Ben Yitzhak (his handler) for the most part. There is also use of archive footage to flesh out the tale and a bit of re-enactment too.

This is actually a very moving and extraordinary film in places with unexpected turns and reveals for both Israel and Palestine. This has the potential to be very divisive as it is a subject that burns close to a lot of people's hearts. That said it is better to discuss than to not and if this film encourages debate then I think that can only be a good thing - as indeed this documentary is too - recommended to those with an interest in modern and World history.

A difficult, touching documentation of the experiences of two men living under very stressful circumstances. Other reviews criticise it for being one-sided, and it may well be if viewed from a wider perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but taken at face value, the interaction between Mosab and Gonen, that develops into a trust beyond blood, is an uplifting story that needs to widely heard. A solid documentary that, treated with care and sensitivity, could probably be turned into a powerful movie. This is a tale of hope.

This was the opening film at the 34th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and what a good choice it was! It is a documentary, of which there were quite a few in this edition of the festival, however, this was not a regular documentary - it left a very strong impact.

Before the film the Director, Nadav Schirman, came on stage and explained that this is a film about two people who have learnt to trust each other. Of course it is much more than that - it is an eye opener! But this is for each of us to reflect upon.

From the first shot of Mosab on screen looking straight at the audience with his piercing, expressive eyes I was mesmerized.

After the film, the two main personalities came on stage: Mosab Hassan Yousef, the author of the book "Son of Hamas" on which this film was based, and Gonen Ben Yitzhak, his spy handler.

The film moved back and forth in time, recounting the events of a ten-year period, since Mosab was seventeen. A time in which he was constantly in danger or in prison. After the film screening, Mosab Hassan Yousef explained that he was striving to avoid unnecessary killings saying: "We are all children of the Devine".