Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The Alpha Diaries







A very open, real look at the cost of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories, The Alpha Diaries follows the routine of Israeli Army reservists during their term of service.  The film follows Alpha Company as they perform the difficult task of house to house searches for terrorists in Palestinian towns and villages.

The films main message is that these men would rather not do this difficult and dangerous duty, were it not for a sense of loyalty to the men they serve with, and fear of punishment from the army.  Certainly, you can see the toll it takes on the men to go through Palestinian houses and examine people’s possessions, as they cower in the room, wide eyed and afraid, woken up in the middle of the night by heavily armed soldiers.

This documentary certainly proves the adage that an occupation harms both the people occupied, and the occupier.  It starts a cycle of dehumanization on both sides that is hard to stop.

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