In the narrow Gaza Strip, located along the Mediterranean Sea, live more than one million people. The area is densely populated. Most Palestinians live in refugee camps or in overcrowded towns like Gaza-City or Khan Younis. After the Israeli withdrawal many Palestinians have high hopes for improved living conditions and for a better future. The documentary filmmaker Jürg Da Vaz wanted to see for himself if this optimism has any foundation. He visited refugee camps, was present at a Hamas election rally in Beit Lahia, looked around extensively in voting centers in Rafah and talked to politicians in Gaza-City. He kept his peculiar style that he has developed in earlier films. With his sharp eye for details he focuses precisely and listens carefully. At the Hamas election rally in Beit Lahia he moves closely to a father who educates his little boy as a future martyr. In Khan Younis he shows the result of Israeli tanks and bulldozers and in Gaza-City he is present when the speaker of the Ministry of the Interior describes the attacks of Kassam rockets as fireworks. Talking to Haider Abdelshafi we finally get an idea of the long and winding road the Palestinians have gone in the last years. In all this Jürg Da Vaz lets the audience participate and experience the contradictions deeply engraved in the micro cosmos of life in Gaza where the joy of living and despair exist side by side.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
