Five Broken Cameras

A Review

Directed by	·         Emad Burnat ·         Guy Davidi
Produced by	·         Christine Camdessus ·         Serge Gordey ·         Emad Burnat ·         Guy Davidi
Written by	·         Guy Davidi
Music by	Le Trio Joubran
Cinematography	Emad Burnat
Editing by	·         Véronique Lagoarde–Ségot ·         Guy Davidi
Distributed by	Kino Lorber
Release date(s)	·         November 23, 2011
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Palestine Israel France
Language	·         Arabic ·         Hebrew

            Bertrand Russell once remarked, “War does not determine who is right - only who is left.” The conflict between Israel and Palestine is not new and every now and then the news bulletins are flashing a story on it. But, not many know what actually happens on the borders and this is what ‘Five Broken Camera’ very aptly depicts. From the opening scene when Emad’s youngest son is born and the revolution to protect his village’s land from Israeli seizure begins, a unique parallel is drawn depicting the existence of human life midst the conflict. The film is divided into five segments shot from five cameras, which in itself is a unique concept as the destruction of each of the cameras depicts the amount of struggle Emad had to do to bring forth the plight of his people.

            Each of the sequences shot describe various timelines of the resistance. Each and every scene is intriguing and depicts the reality very aptly. The involvement of the villagers to save their land makes one think as to what the audiences across the globe are catered with is really news or cooked up facts? Some of the scenes like Emad getting shot and his brother being killed by Israeli forces are disturbing yet they portray the valour and audacity of the people of Bil’in who are willing to die for their village. The involvement of Israeli and international activists brings to light the disparity in the public opinion and what the government considers to be public opinion, but is thier own agenda. Emad’s camera not only shoots the entire struggle, in fact, it becomes its symbol. His struggle to film the incidents and the family tussle create impediments for his work but he doesn’t gives up and continues shooting despite threats from the army.

            The film is an honest effort to showcase the reality that never even touches the periphery of a common man’s living room. There is not much to say but to admire the courage of people associated with filming and the excellent work of the editing team. To be precise and clear, one the most appealing documentaries of our times is '5 Broken Cameras', go for it!

Rating: 9/10

Thumbs Up: Watch out for some very powerful scenes like the one in which Emad showcases his broken cameras like they are some war souvenirs.  

Thumbs Down: I’ll be damned if I write anything here!!