Occupied Minds (2006)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Directors:

Jamal Dajani
David Michaelis

Writers:

Jamal Dajani (writer)
David Michaelis (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

Occupied Minds is the story of two journalists, Jamal Dajani, a Palestinian-American and David Michaelis...

Plot Keywords:

Peace | Israel | Journalism | Middle East | Palestine

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Hebrew | Arabic

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company:

Link TV

What are the Israeli-Palestinian problems? Perhaps two journalists from either side can find out.

An exceptionally timely film about how the neighboring states of Israel and Palestine agree to disagree. Two naturalized American journalists - one Israeli and one Palestinian - take a trip back to their homelands to see why all the fighting continues, and to attempt ideas at solutions. In the end, it is found that any solutions to be had will be much harder to reach than one could hope. Everyone talks of peace, but yet - as children - everyone still says "You first" as an answer to any problems. It is long known that ego-driven solutions never come to fruition. Unlike much of what we see on the media-driven TV and in newspapers, this film does a better job at capturing what life is really like in that begrudging area of the Middle East. Many homes are destroyed, soldiers and checkpoints everywhere, bigotry and bias reign supreme, and everyone still claims to want peace. So what can be done? Not much currently, short of making a documentary. An interesting twist of social views can be seen during an interview in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which seems to be described as more of a vacationers Mecca, something akin with New York or Paris or any other major city. It is fancy and chic, and the inhabitants are seemingly (though not actually) clueless to what is going on around them (as described in the film). The rest of the scenery really appears as a third world nation, not two countries vying to make bigger plans for themselves. Ultimately, it is a true shame from both sides - and one that needs a solution quickly before much more suffering is to be had. There is an almost accidentally humorous scene in which an older Palestinian woman is illegally making her way through a crack in the dividing wall. She fumbles through, cursing Jews before realizing that she may be in their midst. Overall, "Occupied Minds" is a rather gritty expose into the mentalities of two begrudging factions, both willing to chatter and blame, but neither one really willing to make any concessions. As a documentary, this film is excellent.