No Other Land

Incredibly hard to watch, but vital. The viewpoint we in North America are not allowed to see. Documentation of the devastation wrought by modern day colonialism, which needs to remembered, and recognized. History is being made and it the film makers are telling the side of the oppressed, who have been ignored for too long. This film is a complete embodiment of what the people need to see and hear. The truth in this movie is unwavering and its depicted with live footage throughout the entire documentary, leaving no other conclusions to be made but the one that is in front of your eyes. Captivating for any fan of real life documentaries, this is as real as it gets.

"...He's a journalist that wants to write about the demolitions. - But does anyone actually care to read about it? - Honestly, not many."

And just like that, No Other Land became my favorite Oscar winner from the last ceremony, as this film may be one of the most significant and best documentary works for humanity in the 21st century. A joint effort by Palestinians and Israelis, led by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamadan Billal, and Rachel Szor, set out to document the heartbreaking events in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian villages are illegally and forcibly demolished, homes and schools disappear, and farmers' land is seized-leaving them with caves as their only refuge in the land where they were born. Exile or a bullet-those are their remaining options, all for the purpose of creating space for IDF military training grounds...

A film that exposes the greatest human disgrace of our time, revealing how deeply evil, oppression, fascism, and racism can take root in the human heart, but also how vast, yet powerless, human suffering can be. It also reminds us that, without a tyrannical regime, a life of mutual solidarity, respect, and friendship is not only possible but natural. This is something that manifests a cry for freedom, for our attention... a cry for something that should be a fundamental right of every decent human being.

Without exception, you all must watch this.

One minute you're in your home, the next minute it's demolished by The Israeli Army, and further, you're not allowed to drive, and told it's illegal to be on the land, that reality is captured on film.

Where to begin, first off, it fully deserves the many accolades, it's not just a fascinating storyline and a daring piece of journalism, but it's actually a terrifically well made documentary, it's impressive.

There are no grey areas or 'misreading' of events here, it doesn't really matter which side of the fence you sit on, and whether you lean one way or the other, it will hammer home just how appallingly The Israeli Army behaved, against people who literally had nothing, and could offer zero credible resistance. You see what it is to live under occupation.

Several times it had me in tears, if you're not moved by it, I'd suggest there's something seriously wrong.

There are some astonishing moments, the scenes between Basel and Yuval are fascinating, two incredibly brave men.

Revealing, powerful and sobering, don't go in expecting any happy resolutions, as we all know this painful, excruciating war marches on.

This will make every liquid in your body boil with anger and rage, it's obscene. Please someone find a way to end this.

10/10.

There is no other land and there should be no need for one.

A tragic story of greed and inhumanity that has been falling on deaf years for decades because one country is powerful and has powerful friends and allies and the other one has nothing to offer, therefore nobody cares what happens to it outside of a few minutes or days of noteworthy news and public outcry, which also tends to die down quickly as people go about their daily business and forget about the sorrows of people in a faraway land whom they'll never meet. That too is a story as old as time and history never seems to teach us much. When the weak become powerful they forget what it was like and they become oppressors without a second thought.

What a tame word "settler" is. It doesn't say anything, when in fact it means occupier.

The winner of this years Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars (despite not having a major distributor for release in the United States), No Other Land is a warts and all account of a relatively unknown struggle taking place in West Bank's Masafer Yatta region where local Palestinian residents are battle occupation at the hands of Israeli forces.

A collaboration between directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, with Abraham and Adra front and centre to this DIY as the two join forces to help protest and cover the multi-decade spanning battle, Land may not provide anything ground-breaking from a filmmaking sense but its a powerful reminder of the voice cinema can have when it comes to issues that deserve the publics attention.

Making for likable faces to a very confronting and traumatic subject matter, Adra and Ballal arm themselves with handheld cameras and phones to capture years worth of footage as the Israeli military undertakes an increasingly intense operation to flatten the Masafer Yatta community on its way to developing a "military training ground", amounting to a perilous and intense journey that acts as a heartfelt call to action to halt the mistreatment of this populated area of the West Bank.

There's no particular rhyme or reason to the way Land unfolds, a product of the fluid nature of the filming that was merely there to capture what was unfolding not manufacture it, Land may lack a central narrative destination there's little mystery as to why this little film that could has managed to make such a big mark across the globe over the past 12 months with it harbouring a humanistic message at its core that makes us all realise that day to day tensions and carnage in the Middle East is increasingly running at boiling point.

Not easy viewing by any stretch of the imagination, witnessing peoples lives be destroyed before your very eyes its hard to bare and Land refuses to shy away from the casualties of its examination as innocent bystanders are shot and beaten on camera, showcasing the harsh realities of what happens when a corrupt force is allowed to run rampant.

An important piece of modern day documentary filmmaking, Land isn't perfect and is unquestionably rough around the edges but its essential viewing to anyone with a keen interest in journalistic feature film and anyone seeking to gain insights into current global situations that we should all be across.

Final Say -

A worthy Oscar winner that shines a light on a little known yet important topic, No Other Land is an insightful piece of filmmaking bought to life by two invested and reasonable central figures.

4 petrol stations out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)