AllMovie

In this hour long documentary from Antonia Caccia, a British Jew, and Maysoon Pachachi, an Iraqi, Palestinians speak openly about their lives under Israeli occupation. Being the first documentary to be filmed after the official declaration of the Palestinian intifada, gives the commentary of these men, women, and children an added depth. The film opens with Palestinians discussing the immediate present -- the occupation, the rebellion, and their anger. After establishing a sense of the current stakes, the interviews move on to draw out Israeli abuses such as the constant military presence, police harassment, and travel restrictions. More than just a documentary catalog of affronts, the interviewees slowly reveal a rarely seen underground Palestinian culture that works to make life possible even under the strictest of circumstances. One learns of the "popular committees" that provide the cut-off Palestinians with health care, foodstuffs, and education. The film occasioned a bit of controversy in 1989 when television stations in the United States demurred from broadcasting it, even though it had been televised in England, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and throughout the Middle East.