Promesses

One of the most uplifing, hopeful and fulfilling documentaries I've seen in quite some time. Also one of the most depressing and frightening films I've seen. Explains the entire palestine/israel problem at its most basic, most pure level, children. Outstanding work.

This is a documentary about 7 kids living through the Peace Process between Israel and the Palestinian people, between 1995-2000. Allow me to quote from the Festival's program:

"Without newsflash superficiality, political commentary or cold analysis of the situation in the Middle East, Promises is a documentary filmed between '95 and '00 that brings the perspective of seven children from diverse backgrounds and both sides of the conflict. Moishe is a settler child; Mahmoud supports Hamas; Shlomo is ultra-orthodox; Faraj lives in Dehaisheh and dreams of returning to the village from which his grandfather was exiled; Sanbal is from a refugee family with modern views; twins Yarko and Daniel are secular Israeli kids living in West Jerusalem. All live a few kilometers from one another, but are worlds apart. Before adolescence, children are freer, more spontaneous and can express themselves directly and without self-censorship. They can express what adults are afraid to say. At the same time, children, who usually allow the facts to confuse them, carry the hope for change in the patterns of hostility engrained in the minds of adults."

I saw the film at the 2001 Jerusalem Film Festival, with the twins and Mahmoud in the audience as well. Everyone was glued to the film and I think I saw many people shed some tears as Faraj, Sanbal and the twins meet for one day, doing what seemed impossible at the beginning of the project. Their faith of goodness of people is catching, and leaves you in the audience regretting the fact that us, adults, have a harder time sitting together and just getting to know one another. While the bloodshed may continue for a while longer, it is important to view such films that allow us to accept another option of the conflict.

One of the best documentaries of the year and one that is a good one to give you an explanatory introduction to the conflict. It doesn't cover all basis in this very complicated situation, but at least you will get the idea that there is no easy solution in this political-religious-historical conflict. Hopefully these kids all could meet again one day in one place without any barricades between them.

B.Z. Goldberg has definitely created relationships with these kids that without his people-skills wouldn't have made those kids open up to him the way they did. Watching Faraj weep when he realizes that BZ is going to leave them after the meeting with the twins and that all their efforts would be in vain is a moment you will remember for a long time.

Shot by American-Israeli co-director, B.Z. Goldberg between 1997-2000, Promises is a timely and moving look at the Arab-Israeli conflict from the point of view of seven Israeli and Palestinian children including Arabs, Orthodox Jews and secular Jews. The film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary, gives truth to the biblical refrain that "a child shall lead them" and provides some hope for a better understanding from the next generation. Indeed, if adults were as open, honest, and giving as these children, there would be no more talk of checkpoints and terrorists and innocent people blown to bits.

Filmed in Israel and the West Bank Occupied Territories, we see an Israel rarely seen on CNN, a country of checkpoints and segregated corridors reinforced by violence.

Goldberg, a secular Jew who grew up in Jerusalem, studied film at New York University and worked as a journalist in Israel. He filmed 170 hours and narrowed it down to 106 minutes. Throughout the film, each child is interviewed separately and most recite the litany of hatred and misunderstanding that they have learned. Moishe, 12, lost his best friend in a Palestinian Intifada, while Faraj, a young Arab, mourns for his closest friend who was killed by an Israeli soldier. "The more Jews we kill, the stronger the Arabs will be", states a Palestinian boy. As the film progresses, a strong desire for peace and reconciliation emerges through the quiet, thoughtful questions posed by Goldberg.

Goldberg astonishingly brings the Israeli twins Yarko and Daniel to spend a day with their Palestinian neighbor Faraj. At first they maintain an aloofness but as the day progresses they forget all about their politics in a few hours of wrestling, playing ball, and eating a delicious meal. The most emotional moment comes when Faraq breaks down and cries because he realizes that when the cameras leave, everything will be the same as before and they will never see each other again. I couldn't see the next few minutes because of all the moisture in my eyes.

In a sad epilogue, the children are shown two years later, somewhat hardened in their attitudes, ready to sacrifice themselves for a futile conflict. Perhaps by now, some of them have blown themselves up in glorious martyrdom or were simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when a bomb went off. The most heartbreaking statement comes from one of the children who state, "The life we live doesn't allow us to accomplish our dreams".

Nevertheless, listening to these children, there has to be some reason for optimism. "In war both sides suffer," one of the Israeli twins says. "Maybe there's a winner, but what is a winner?" Perhaps what we need are more people like Yarko, Faraj and Goldberg to show us the way.

I only saw the second part of the movie, but that gave me enough impression to leave me in a state of "having seen something everyone should see". And I think everyone and most of all Israelis and Arabs will agree that a way to peace will only be possible when encounters like these will take place, where kids from both "sides" will meet each other to discuss and understand each other problems. I am so much impressed about the openess, sincerity, wisdom and "the stuff that separates the youth from the adults": playing a soccer game, making fun, sharing dreams. It's hard to see that two years after the meeting the Arab boy has almost lost his belief in a solution. A while ago I heard an interview on the radio with the famous Jewish military expert Martin von Kreefeld. This interview impressed me as much as "Promises", but in a very different way. To Von Kreefelds opinion, the only solution to the Jewish-Arab problem was building a high wall, deviding the two nations, probably at cost of some 30,000 lives. But then, so Von Kreefeld, there would finally be "peace". Well, let's just hope future generations from Israel and Palestine will proove him wrong. The documentary is filmed at high speed and will grasp your attention immediately, and will not let loose. Very impressing, very... moving ;-)

After seeing this movie, I had to sit and think about my view of Israel/Palestine and Arab terrorists in general. The US supports Israel. Israel has made Arabs/Muslims third class citizens w/ zero rights and zero say. To leave their own town, they have to enter checkpoints, get searched and are usually denied access anyway. They are treated like we treated the Blacks. The blacks rebelled and gained freedom. The Arabs rebel because of their injustice in anyway they can (exactly like the blacks did!) and we support their oppressors(Israel)? Not only do we stand behind them, we HELP them do it. Bin Laden attacked the US in response to his anger at the US, which was in his eyes (and the entire Arab world), a BIG Israel. I had NO idea things were that bad in Israel/Palestine. The West Bank and Gaza strip fiasco makes the whole "blacks in the back of the bus" seem trivial. Which makes me wonder that if more people knew what was REALLY happening, would we hate Iraq/Afghanistan as much as we do? Did the Southern white plantation owners despise the blacks for rebelling? You bet your bippy they did. And after seeing this movie, I feel America has become the Southern Plantation Owner to the world, keeping the Arabs in their "proper place" in order to support Israel. I need to read about this some more, because I feel I've been cheated for years and not getting the whole story. Kind of like the Khmer Rouge, Rwanda and now Sudan....As a documentary, the story was flawless. I got angry at one of the Jewish Youths (Yanko?) for changing his view completely. After seeing the other side, feeling for them, and wanting to help make a change, he became part of the problem. He became flippant and uncaring. One of the Muslim girls, who became good friends with him, was explaing how upset and shocked she was when he joined the military. Her brother was arrested just for being an Arab and was in prison. The Jewish boy said he may have been the one who arrested him, he didn't know, and didn't seem to care either. This movie made more of a statement than Fahrenheit 911 or Bowling for Columbine did for the main reason that is wasn't even trying to. I'm not sure if anyone else got the same feeling from this movie as I did, but besides making me question my entire viewpoint, it was a fantastically filmed documentary. It didn't win the Oscar, but I don't know who it was running against. I rate this movie 4 marbles out of 4.