On the Side of the Road (2013) was written and directed by Lia Tarachansky. It's a documentary about Israeli/Palestinian history and about Israeli/Palestinian relationships today. These problems are extremely complex, and the movie itself is complex and intense.
The basic theme of the film is that when the State of Israel was created in 1948, Palestinians, who had lived there for generations, were forced from their homes and sent into exile. Not only did they lose their homes and their lands, but they lost their history. The movie's premise is that the Israeli government has actively suppressed all mention of Palestinian villages that existed before 1948.
There are three strands within the movie. When Israelis commemorate their Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut), Palestinians commemorate the Day of the Catastrophe (Nakba Day), to remember the displacement of Palestinians. Apparently, in Israel, it is illegal to celebrate Nakba Day. (Palestinian Israeli citizens are deprived the right of free expression in this context.) We see Palestinians, in Israel, carrying out ingenious acts of defiance, to demonstrate this lack of civil rights, while not actually breaking the law. They are met with police hostility, but that is minimal compared to the hostility vented against them by celebrating Israelis.
A second strand involves research into the vanished Palestinian villages. Even the term used in the historical archives--abandoned--is complex. In English, abandoned always means left permanently. However, it can mean left willingly or unwillingly. The director's point is that the Palestinians didn't want to abandon their villages. The villages were abandoned because the Palestinians were driven out.
A third strand presents a Palestinian living in the occupied West Bank, who is not permitted to enter Israel, where he wants to visit the site of his grandparents' home in an "abandoned" village. He finally gets permission to enter Israel for 12 hours, and he's able to visit the site of his grandparents' home. He calls home on his cell phone and says, "Grandmother, I'm here."
On the Side of the Road is an important documentary, but it's not an easy film to watch. The entire situation in the region is complicated and tragic. No positive outcome is in sight. There is no way you are going to watch this film and feel uplifted. However, it's possible that you will think about the events of 1948 in a new and different way.
We saw this film under less than ideal circumstances--projected onto a wall, and with some of the subtitles difficult to read. The movie will work well on DVD, and, depending on circumstances, that might be a better option.
The basic theme of the film is that when the State of Israel was created in 1948, Palestinians, who had lived there for generations, were forced from their homes and sent into exile. Not only did they lose their homes and their lands, but they lost their history. The movie's premise is that the Israeli government has actively suppressed all mention of Palestinian villages that existed before 1948.
There are three strands within the movie. When Israelis commemorate their Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut), Palestinians commemorate the Day of the Catastrophe (Nakba Day), to remember the displacement of Palestinians. Apparently, in Israel, it is illegal to celebrate Nakba Day. (Palestinian Israeli citizens are deprived the right of free expression in this context.) We see Palestinians, in Israel, carrying out ingenious acts of defiance, to demonstrate this lack of civil rights, while not actually breaking the law. They are met with police hostility, but that is minimal compared to the hostility vented against them by celebrating Israelis.
A second strand involves research into the vanished Palestinian villages. Even the term used in the historical archives--abandoned--is complex. In English, abandoned always means left permanently. However, it can mean left willingly or unwillingly. The director's point is that the Palestinians didn't want to abandon their villages. The villages were abandoned because the Palestinians were driven out.
A third strand presents a Palestinian living in the occupied West Bank, who is not permitted to enter Israel, where he wants to visit the site of his grandparents' home in an "abandoned" village. He finally gets permission to enter Israel for 12 hours, and he's able to visit the site of his grandparents' home. He calls home on his cell phone and says, "Grandmother, I'm here."
On the Side of the Road is an important documentary, but it's not an easy film to watch. The entire situation in the region is complicated and tragic. No positive outcome is in sight. There is no way you are going to watch this film and feel uplifted. However, it's possible that you will think about the events of 1948 in a new and different way.
We saw this film under less than ideal circumstances--projected onto a wall, and with some of the subtitles difficult to read. The movie will work well on DVD, and, depending on circumstances, that might be a better option.
