Review of Five Broken Cameras (2011) by Mitch H — 17 Feb 2013

Better a Camera Than a Life.

Let us start by discussing what this film is not. This film is not an overview of the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is not an unbiased look at anything. It is not representative of the Israeli side even a little. Heck, it's not even representative of the Palestinian side. Not really. The film does not discuss the wider issues in Gaza. It does not talk about any of the history other than detailing what happened in the years each of Emad Burnat's sons were born. From then on, it is only what happened from 2005 on, in the years when Burnat owned and filmed with each of the eponymous five cameras. Most, though not quite all, of what we see was filmed by one of the five. We even see the last footage shot by the cameras and how they were destroyed. In some cases, their destruction was what saved Burnat's life, or anyway prevented him from more serious injury.

Each of the sons of Emad Burnat was born in a different period of modern Palestinian history. When eldest son Mohammed was born, it looked as though there would finally be peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. By the time fourth-born Gibreel was born, that peace was collapsing. Worse, the Israeli government approved a wall that divided the village the Burnats lived in, Bil'in, from the fields its inhabitants cultivate for their living. Burnat and his fellow residents of Bil'in begin protesting. Burnat and all his brothers end up spending time in jail. Their mostly peaceful protests attract all nature of visitors, though we don't see many of them. (There's one guy at one point who is quite obviously American, but I'm not sure if any Israelis make an appearance, and I certainly didn't see Jimmy Carter.) The Israeli settlers are, from what little information we have, sneaking around the law. The residents of Bil'in try similar techniques, but the Israeli military is less inclined to be delicate with them.

What's most significant about this particular part of the conflict is that there does appear to be a definite right and wrong, which I don't think is true for the majority of the conflict. I believe that, through most of the region, neither side is all right or all wrong. It's quite clear here that the Israeli government is in the wrong; the International Court of Justice has ruled against them and for the people of Bil'in. Worse, it took some years after the ruling before the lands were returned to the people. Apparently, the Israeli government was saying that the fields didn't belong to anyone, despite the fact that the people of Bil'in had been gathering olives there for well over a hundred years. It also seems to be true that soldiers of the Israeli military went undercover and instigated the stone-throwing that was used as an excuse for the military crackdown in the area. In no way should Bil'in be taken as an example of what's going on all over the region.

Obviously, this is not the most professional documentary I've ever seen. It is, after all, initially the story of a man who wanted to film his kids. Why little Gibreel was the one honoured with a video camera, I can't say; presumably, his three elder brothers had to be content with still pictures. In fact, the first couple of cameras are downright lousy; he can't run while he's filming with the second camera, because the shade will fall off. I only assume that the reason his cameras get better as time progresses is that Israeli filmmaker Guy Davidi, who helped with the production, paid for them. (He did not, I suspect, pay for Burnat's medical bills, but I assume that Burnat is getting a share of the proceeds and will be able to pay for them himself now.) And, yes, all of those cameras are either broken or shot by members of the Israeli military. In at least one case, the shooting of the camera likely saved Burnat's life; if he had been shot instead, it would not have ended well for him.

This is the fourth of this year's Best Documentary Feature nominees. The only one which I have not yet see, [i]The Gatekeepers[/i], is also about the conflict. (There is no DVD release date yet, and it isn't on Instant Play.) I don't know the perspective it takes, but I really do believe that it's about time that more people realized there was more than one perspective to be had on the issue. As I said, in this situation, it seems as though the people of Bil'in are in the right. However, elsewhere, that isn't necessarily true. I do understand the desire for a Jewish homeland. That has always made sense to me. I even understand the desire to have it where it is. However, I have always felt that the Israeli government needs to be more sensitive to the needs of the people who were living there when the region was still owned by the British. I have also felt that the Palestinians need to be less consumed by rhetoric about wiping the Jews off the Earth entirely. Compromise is necessary. Maybe if we saw more perspectives, we'd get there.