Back in February, there was a movie released that had been rocking film festivals the year previous. The film in question? The Gatekeepers, a brilliant film chronicling interviews with the former heads of Israel's counter-terrorism agency.
It's essentially a documentary, consisting mainly of interviews, but there is still a fixed narrative-the interviewees discuss the history of the Palestinian conflict through much of its history. As time goes on, more is revealed, and perspective is added to events coming closer and closer to the present. It has all the intensity as a good narrative, for that's what it is. Somehow these simple discussions of opinions evolve into a story with characters and conflict, only lacking a climax-because it hasn't happened yet.
The perspectives extracted from the interviewees are thought-provoking, and are certain to incite conversation about the topics mentioned. The inner functions of this agency are fascinating, and the complexities of the situation are accented, showing there to really be no simple solution to the problem.
The editing is incredibly powerful. As a theatrical film, the movie wouldn't get away with keeping the camera on the interviewees, so it cuts to footage related to what's being discussed. There will be depictions of the violence, or demonstrations of the plans, or at times some beautiful original shots going down dark corridors to underline how dark the topic is.
As a footnote, the translation is fluid and keeps the power of what's being discussed, which assists the movie in being appreciable by English-speaking audiences. Be warned, though, the subtitles often blend into white objects on the screen, although they are usually visible for long enough to be read.
The Gatekeepers definitely deserves its reputation as one of the best movies of the year. I would recommend it to everyone who can find it.
No comments:
Post a Comment