Raging Dove

The story of a Palestinian boxer rising in the ranks of the boxing world and the political implications could have resulted in a useful exploration of how gifted individuals cope in the tinderbox of Israel. Unfortunately, the result is more of a very well made home movie that runs along in a time linear fashion but contains no crafted story. The boxer's financing and eventual betrayal by the Palestinian government just passes without much discussion or thought. I wondered about the strange use of Lou Reed's "Heroin" song until the credits where the song is misspelled, "Heroine". Could the film makers have thought that the song was about a hero not drugs? What ever the reason it's an example of why the documentary doesn't really work.

If you are a student of the people of the Middle East, definitely watch this but it's just notes not a complete thesis.