Film: The Warren

Well, I finally got a film watched. Predictably, the short - The Warren, a short film on Reel Palestine. Figured I'd have time for that much, at least! I still have a backlog of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, on Amazon Prime: The Syrian Bride, new to Sands Films: and Snowden, also on Amazon Prime. The last of which I'm most interested in - so naturally, it comes last of the four!

A small amount of buffering didn't cause too much trouble. This is an atmospheric piece about the Israeli army, creeping around a Palestinian refugee camp at dead of night, looking for insurgents during the second intifada. I was a few minutes in before anyone spoke, at which time I realised there are no subtitles! Happily, although it'd be nice to know what people are saying, it doesn't prevent you following the plot.

It has a decent amount of suspense. Can't say much more about an 11-minute piece without giving too much away, but suffice to say that the Israeli army don't come out of this squeaky clean. The ending is truly unexpected, and will give you pause for thought. Recommended!

Now, this evening, Up in the Cheap Seats are doing a couple of things - one is a musical called Fiver, about the journey of a five-pound note through the city. Livestreamed from Southwark Playhouse, so you have to watch it at set times. Ran yesterday, running today. I love a musical, and the story sounds interesting.. of course, I can't do it in the evening, but there is a matinee today, which I've booked for. Full price, for once, and my ongoing discount doesn't apply, but I'm delighted to help the theatre. I've logged in and am waiting for the start, at time of writing - glad to hear they've followed the Old Vic's lead, and included audience sounds while you wait. Really adds to the realism. Only thing is, the recording keeps looping, and there's a slight pause before each restart. And as you listen over and over, you do start to recognise segments. Still, it helps.

And tomorrow, reliable London Social Detours has another talk. This time, it's one hosted by the host's historian friend, which makes a nice change - and it's about "Death, Disease & the Great Fire of London"! 

Film: Budrus

Film again today. The next film on my list actually jumped in rating since I listed it - so I watched Budrus, on Reel Palestine again. This is the true story of how a village mobilised people from all factions to prevent the Israeli army building a wall through the middle of it - which would, incidentally, destroy their olive groves. Only became a feasible protest when the women got involved, it turns out!

I see that U.S. viewers have to pay - for me, all I had to do to stream for free was subscribe to the Just Vision mailing list. Fine, I can unsubscribe if it gets annoying. Starts out with a great soundtrack and some beautiful footage. This isn't really an easy watch though, as the army moves in and things deteriorate. It is good that the film interviews both sides - I actually couldn't believe what I was hearing, with the Israeli captain saying that their prime objective was to protect Israeli civilians. Israeli. As if there's a difference. Later, the protests attract left-wing Israeli activists - the army is quoted as saying that they are not allowed to use force against Israelis. No, but they can fire rubber bullets and tear gas, and use batons, on the Palestinians..

The other Israeli soldier interviewed personally is a woman, who gives an interesting perspective - the Palestinian women were shouting at her in particular, saying they could make her a match with their sons! But while she is sorry for the loss of the olive trees, she is ultimately unsympathetic, saying that if that's what needs to be done, it needs to be done. And I don't blame the soldiers - they were doing as they were told.

The protests ultimately attract massive international support - including a South African anti-apartheid group, who travelled all that way to tell them that the best solution was for everyone to live together. The scenes towards the end are disturbing, as violence breaks out - as someone says, these are nonviolent protests, but when the army provokes people that far, some will start to throw stones. And to be fair, there are always idiots who think that's the way to solve things. That, combined with the international attention, forces the government's hand - and, despite the intransigent deputy defence minister who's interviewed about it on the news, the villagers get their way - the wall is still built, but no longer through their olive groves, or the cemetery. I had to laugh when the captain came on again to say that well, people will say that's because of the protests, but it was a political decision..

Tomorrow, on Meetup, Experience London Events, Concerts & Parties is streaming a concert from the U.S. However, they have the wrong time on it - it's obviously happening later in the day here, so it's happening at 10pm rather than 10am, as advertised. So, not feasible for me. And London Social Detours is on in the evening, unusually - so I have to resort to film again. The next on my list is a comedy short from Buster Keaton called The Goat - and interestingly, is on a new platform for me! Findable on the Internet Archive..

Film: Until When..

Today, back to finding my own film. I've now finished both Fleabag and The Fall - Fleabag was excellent, The Fall equally - but very, very dark. The very last episode, in fact, was shocking enough that it could be the subject of a horror story. And so, the highest rated on my film list now was one called Until When..  This is a documentary about four Palestinian families living in a refugee camp, and again, is available on Reel Palestine.

Canadian-made, this is a series of in-depth interviews with camp residents of various ages - we hear from the elderly, who remember the history of how they came to be here, and what things used to be like. We hear from younger adults, trying to make a life for themselves and their children in a world of roadblocks, detours, and shelling. And we hear from militarised children, growing up in a world where soldiers and tanks are both normal, and something to be hated and fought against.

It really does give a vivid account of what life is like there, and you'd have to wonder how such a situation has been allowed to persist for so long. How can there be peace without justice? They were forced to leave their homes, forced into cramped conditions where they're dependent on their oppressors for such necessities as electricity. If you have to pass a checkpoint on the way to work, then - as a Palestinian - whether you get to work on time (or at all) depends on the whim of the soldiers there. I've seen many such documentaries before, but it's something that continues to need to be highlighted. Wouldn't be tolerated in Europe or North America.. I can recommend this documentary, not least for the appealing characters that you meet in it.

I'm very excited about Saturday - The Old Vic has taken to streaming shows live in camera (so, played to an empty theatre). And coming up next is Three Kings - a one-man show with Andrew Scott! Showing from Wednesday to Saturday, it replicates a live theatre show, in that you have to attend at the scheduled time - so the only show I can make is the Saturday matinée. For which I snatched a ticket asap! Caveat - despite the different ticket prices, the view is the same for everyone - it's just a question of how much of a donation you feel like making. They're supposed to send me a Zoom link, shortly beforehand - oh, and these are non-transferable, you can only use the link on one device. But boy, do I love Andrew Scott.. Postponed from this week, as he's been in hospital (neither serious nor Covid-related, we're assured!).

Film: Trip Along Exodus

Today, with Meetup full of live meetings again, I decided on film again. For a change, I was thinking of heading to Reel Palestine, which is supposed to be streaming a very highly rated short film called My Neighbourhood. But wouldn't you know it, when I tested the link, it wasn't working! Never fear, there's a wealth of films out there.. instead, I decided to watch Trip Along Exodus, also available on that site - or, indeed, on YouTube! It's a documentary about the late Elias Shoufani, a council member of the PLO.

No dry documentary, this - it was made by his elder daughter, a poet, and is divided into sections, each punctuated with a snatch of poetry, some music - and the photos and video footage that appear throughout. It's kind of linear, but has no problem in jumping around in time a little. Never fear, it's not confusing - just sit back and absorb the atmosphere. The music and images give a real insight into life in the Middle East, and make this an entertaining watch.

By 'eck, he was a character! This was filmed a couple of years before his death, but he is sharp as a tack - and age gives him licence to diss all comers: although a remark towards the end of the film suggests that he was always an argumentative sort. In his day, he was regarded as the foremost authority on the Middle East. He had a PhD from Princeton, lived in the States for a while (on an Israeli passport, which was the only one he could get - as soon as he got a green card, he dispensed with the Israeli passport, for obvious reasons). Met his first wife there - it didn't last long, unfortunately, as he became more closely involved in politics, and couldn't see a role for her in the revolution.

He frequently lets rip. He left the States because they were assisting Israel to fight the Palestinians, but is also scathing about Palestinian patriotism - as he says, he's not a farmer, he has no interest in land unless as in the concept of a motherland: nationhood. So he has no time for attachment to place - indeed, he lived in several different countries, and eventually ended his days in Syria. He says, mind you, that the greatest problem is Islamic fundamentalism, and that the association of religion with politics just leads to backward thinking, and regression. Which leads him nicely onto a lengthy dismissal of Arafat, who, he says, had a "fossilised brain", and could only consider the political situation in terms of religion. Not that things in the PLO improved after his tenure: no, he says, after that, it was run by Arafat's cronies - a bunch of highwaymen and thugs.

Very much worth watching, it's also a fascinating insight into the situation in Palestine in the late 20th century. Recommended.

Same-o situation for Saturday. Funnily enough, highest on my film list now is Fleabag! (which I've already finished a season of, on Amazon Prime Video). But I'm hoping to be finished Season 2 by then, and that's all she wrote, as they say. Couldn't wait to watch it. Assuming that I am finished with that, next up - on the same platform - is The Fall. About which I hear good things.