Review of The Gatekeepers (2012) by Amilcar A — 06 Apr 2013

Every movie weekend should be like this one. 4 great movies, all different and not a single one where I felt I wasted my time. I particularly enjoy completing the weekend obsession with a good documentary about a controversial subject.

This is a particularly hard movie for me to write about because the subject is close to my roots but also collides with my principles. It's ironic that I got to watch this movie on the eve of Yom Hashoah. There is a bittersweet taste in my soul.

The Gatekeepers is a wonderful documentary about the Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service agency. The film is structured as a series of snippets from interviews with 5 of the agency directors. Most of the dialogue is from the interviewees and only sporadically do we hear the interviewer pressure to get an answer, a common technique to create controversy. This approach allows the film to be relaxed but it's not complacent and you can tell there is conflict in the minds of these men.

The subject at hand is primarily the role of the Shin Bet since the 1968 war. It's not a propagandist movie in either direction. The men that ran this organization are conflicted and at times even remorseful. They are clear the path they have chosen has not been easy and that their country has largely failed in dealing with both terrorism and the Palestinian state. There is plenty of criticism and even questioning about whom they are ultimately defending against.

I appreciate these types of documentaries because you learn a lot and don't leave the theater jaded. Only a little confused and disappointed.