To See If I'm Smiling (2007)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Tamar Yarom

Writer:

Tamar Yarom (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The story of women who served in the occupied territories. Tamar Yarom studied film at the London Film School and psychology at the Hebrew University...

Awards:

3 wins

Also Known As:

No Place for a Lady (Israel: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

59 min | Israel:65 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

First Hand Films

Re: Sentimental Bunk

I don't know what film you watched but it doesn't appear that you watched this one very closely.

Of course this film is not about war. It's not a war film, nor is it a film about the occupation of Palestine though the conflict there forms the backdrop of the film. It neither glamorizes, justifies nor excuses any of the events that happen in the Occupied Territories. And there is no political context alluded to this film because this film is, I think, very deliberately apolitical. The film makers display no overt bias one way or the other. And in so doing, one is allowed to take their own meaning from the film.

That said it's pretty obvious to me that the occupation of Palestine not only diminishes the humanity of Palestinians but also that of the occupiers. The line between justifiable self preservation and unwarranted sadism is proved to be very thin.

The subjects in the film don't speak politically and they don't resort to easy rhetoric. It shows that it is extremely difficult to do the "right thing", what can happen if you try to and ultimately the great psychological price one pays for having to leave one's moral compass to one side.

Highly recommended if uncomfortable viewing