Review of The Gatekeepers (2012) by Dan G — 20 Jul 2013

At the risk of coming off as ignorant, I would probably recommend this film to those with a semblance of knowledge of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (from the beginning to the present).

I confess that I consider myself neither an expert on the subject nor someone completely ignorant to it. I did find myself zoned out and lost quite a bit during this viewing, while 5 Broken Cameras (the other middle east doc that earned an Oscar nomination) had me on the edge of my seat.

The intrigue of The Gatekeepers is the procurement of those who were thought to not have been reachable for interview- six former heads of the Shin Bet, the secretive Israeli security agency. The movie delves into first-hand accounts of recollections of the historic days of the conflict (Rabin's assassination, various missions to root out known terrorists, dealings with prime ministers etc) from those who were central to the actions/reactions.

We get treated to some rather callous and frivolous comments about human life and the handlings of these missions, as well as some regrets here and there. I'd imagine the information received in this documentary is more intriguing than others so perhaps I'll to acquaint myself on this subject to gain a true appreciation of what was viewed.