Many films try to deal with the intractable problem of the Israel / Palestrina conflict. They normally have a political, social, racial or religious take on the issues, trying to expose or hide the problems. But not “Precious Life”. It is a
Precious Life
Directed by: Shlomi Eldar
Vendetta Films
In cinemas now
Many films try to deal with the intractable problem of the Israel / Palestrina conflict. They normally have a political, social, racial or religious take on the issues, trying to expose or hide the problems. But not “Precious Life”. It is an extraordinarily powerful film which offers no answers only a muted cry for peace and understanding
The documentary started off as a simple home movie record of a doctor and a journalist who try to help a young Arab child living in Gaza. As the story developed the film becomes a record of a surreal slice of daily life and a metaphor for the tragic past and present history of the area. It is mainly filmed by Shlomi Eldar on his small handicam.
A young doctor at a Tel Aviv hospital asks Eldar who is an Israeli television correspondent to help save the baby’s life. Eldar broadcasts the story about the boy who has no immune system, and the harsh reality he faces unless the he has a bone marrow transplant. It is impossible to have the operation in Gaza or raise the funds for an operation.
Within hours of the broadcast on the news, a Jewish man who has lost his son serving with the army donates $55,000 but wishes to remain antonymous.
The operation is successful and the boy returns home but later in the film has to return when there are complications and the mother has another child in the Tel Aviv hospital.
The film centres on Shlomi Eldar, the little boy Mohammed and the boys mother Raida Abu-Mustafa. Each has to struggle to survive in their own way, each, learning about the conflicts between the Palestinians and Israeli as well as facing their personal conflicts and animosities.
There are some incredibly powerful emotional sequences. At one point Eldar drives through the darkened streets of Tel Aviv reflecting on his outrage that Raida wants her child to survive so that he can become a suicide bomber.
The mother’s perception of the Israelis slowly changes over the course of the film. Initially she can’t understand why she is being helped,”The Israelis do strange things for us” she says but tenuous relationship is forged between mother, doctor, and film director hinting that change is possible..
It is also the film about the many unseen participants such as the donor who only communicated by phone, about the residents of Gaza who see Raida as a collaborator and about the border control officials on both sides who make the transfers of children and blood possible.
There is also a serendipitous sequence in which the Gaza doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish who goes on to write the book I Shall Not Hate (and who was at this years Auckland Writers and Readers Festival) arrives at the hospital the night after his daughters have been killed in an Israeli strike.
The film also exposes the lies religions tell its adherents and the stupidity and ignorance which comes with primitive religions, so that all joys, despair and events are determined by god alone.
Much of the film is set against as background of Operation Cast Iron, the savagery of which keeps focusing down on to individuals. There is a short passionate outburst from Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish who is bewildered that so much time and money is being put into saving the life of one little boy while dozens are being killed at a single stroke by the military
The films tortuous journey is illuminating in the observations of two very different societies, heart wrenching in its display of raw emotion and depressing in its depiction of a conflict which may never really end but also inspiring in the way that individuals can help make small changes in the ways that adversaries can change their perceptions of each other.
The film which should be seen by everyone offers no critique, no answers, no hope, just the reality
