AllMovie

While there is no shortage of documentaries about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha's Encounter Point is unique for its cautious optimism. The film's most intriguing figure is Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian who has renounced the violence which was once a part of his life, despite all of the pain he and his family have endured at the hands of the Israelis. The other people profiled by Avni and Bacha have interesting and moving stories to tell. The feisty South African émigré Robi Damelin, whose family fought apartheid, and who has no problem confronting settlers and other right-wingers with their hypocrisy, is a particularly engaging figure. But Awwad's well-articulated pragmatic approach to the peace movement is something unique in documentaries on the subject. He points out that he's turned to nonviolence, not because he loves the Israelis ("I don't have to love the Israelis to make peace with them") but because the tactics the Palestinians have been using for decades simply have not worked. He is devoted to the cause of education and eager to engage everyone he speaks to, whether it is Palestinian students or Israeli settlers. Distrusting the role of government, he spreads the word, for the most part ignored in the media on both sides, that there are people on the other side who want peace, and who believe that Israel and Palestine can live together side by side as two nations. Encounter Point is a fascinating document of his struggle, and of others who reject the violence and vengeance one might expect of them. Much like its subjects, it's filled with insight, warmth, and humor, despite the tragic stories it tells.