I will, from time to time, review or comment about movies with a decidedly international perspective or movies that play a key role in understanding new or ancient conflicts throughout the world. Since 5 Broken Cameras was released in November 2011 and was nominated for Best Documentary in the 2012 Academy Award Nominations, I am, undoubtedly, late to the party. But, as long at the Palestine/Israel conflict remains unsolved, 5 Broken Cameras will continue to be an amazing source of the kinds of details–those about Palestinians in the West Bank losing their land to Israeli settlers–that are simply not reported in mainstream western media.
The movie owes its title to the five broken cameras of Emad Burnat, the cameraman and narrator of the movie, who is a resident of Bil’in, a small town, which is drastically affected by the Israeli West Bank Barrier. The movie covers a period of more than five years, from when Burnat’s youngest son was born in 2005, to 2011. In the beginning of the movie, Burnat beautifully introduces you to his family, several of his neighbors, and friends. His voice transfixing you, gently drawing you in to his side of this ugly conflict.
Over the years, we see Burnat’s son lose his innocence much sooner than Western children. From an early age, his son is exposed to seeing friends being arrested for peaceful protesting, he is in crowds dispersed by tear gas, and he sees people shot. All by the age of five.
The movie also follows the arc of several key protesters, all of them incredibly peaceful. Some lose hope that Bil’in residents will ever get back their lost land. Others remain hopeful that Israel will withdraw and even take down the West Bank Barrier. Burnat is one of those Palestinians who is less hopeful, but he keeps on recording everything, from protests, to walks with his sons, to arguments with his wife about, coincidently, recording everything. Twice, his cameras are shot while he is recording, one time he is straight-on filming the Israeli soldier who shoots his camera. Another time a camera is knocked out of his hands by an Israeli settler.
Except for one scene in the movie, all protests Burnat caught on tape are peaceful. The one exception is a scene of a protester yelling at the soldiers to turn peacefully away and they will walk away too. But in the background of this one protester, you can see other protesters and a few of them take the opportunity to throw rocks at the Israeli troops. The Israelis were waiting for this moment. As soon as a rock hits them they charge the protestors, blanketing them in tear gas and arresting a handful.
Another scene shows a protester who is being held by Israeli troops by the side of a car. Unprovoked and without any legitimate reason whatsoever, one Israeli grabs the Palestinian man and holds him still so another Israeli soldier can shoot him in the leg. The most climactic event Burnat recorded is the death of a protester and friend. At the time of his death, this protester was not throwing anything at the troops. He was unarmed and merely yelling at Israeli soldiers that a girl had been shot. With a pop, we see him go down and I seemed to be able to hear air escaping from his chest. He is dead instantly, or at the very most, lives a few minutes, but by the time Burnat reaches him, he is not moving.
Obviously, not all Palestinians are violent protesters, but the Israeli soldiers featured in this film do not make an effort to distinguish between a threat and a non-threat. Without reason they arrest men, even little boys, and, at one point, Burnat himself. Burnat is held in house arrest for a month or two and is released when Israel drops his case and says, “They lost the evidence against him.” Right.
5 Broken Cameras is an eye-opening film, one I wish every westerner could watch. I have been to Israel. I have seen the West Bank Barrier. It was 2006 and I took a picture of it with my awesome two megapixel camera. Back then, I didn’t know a lot about it, and, even though I know more now, I will never be an expert. But this film is so honest, deeply moving, and informative that I have a much better visual of the encroaching Israeli settlements and the enormous obstacle they pose to a peaceful way forward for Israel and Palestine.
IR From Afar 