DMovies - Your platform for thought-provoking cinema

The Human Factor

Director - Dror Moreh - 2021

"Dirty gem"
Oscar-nominated doc largely told from an American perspective depicts US presidents (particularly Bill Clinton) as cautious negotiators of the Israel-Palestinian conflict - out on Friday, May 21st.

The most eerily prescient documentary release of them all, The Human Factor arrives onscreen amidst the uproar culminating across Ireland, England and the rest of Europe. We’re referring, of course, to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, a battle that not only crosses religious grounds, but disputes the rightful ownership of a land surrounded by desert, duty and riches.

In this taut documentary heavily reliant on talking heads, the Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh attempts to piece together a coherent narrative that can provide context to an extremely complicated history. Though the film struggles to keep up with the turbo charged events that occur, it does at least offer a nuanced depiction of a quarrel that pivots from the walls of Jerusalem, to the sanctuary of the American White House. The outcome is a behind-the-scenes story from the past three decades or so.

Bill Clinton enters the story, in an effort to earmark a form of change from the more tactile tactics favoured by his immediate predecessor. The story, framed from an American perspective, is largely told by a team of American negotiators, detailing the intricate nuances felt on both sides. Empathy, we are told, wasn’t favoured by either Israel or Palestine. Clinton offered a neutral ear by which Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat could turn to.

Fueled by their personal and political ideologies, the two men shared a series of tense meetings, demonstrating their viewpoints of a land shaped by conflict, chaos and conditions. Rabin’s actions proved thorny among hard lined Israeli citizens, as hordes of protesters took to the streets to paint their leader a “traitor”. Rabin was assassinated by his own people in 1995, further contributing to the hatred and hostility.

The doc offers an insight into the negotiations, as American Presidents cautioned themselves to roles of diplomacy or diligence. Where the newest President, Joe Biden, will take them has yet to be seen, but this is a formidable edifice about a time of tremendous historical impact. In a world where Israeli rockets count as the lexicon of peace, it’s not likely that there will be any resolution coming in the near future.

The Human Factor, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, is out on various VoD platforms on Friday, May 21st.



"Dirty gem"

By Eoghan Lyng - 20-05-2021

By Eoghan Lyng - 20-05-2021

Throughout a journey found through his own writings and the writings of other filmmakers, Eoghan has taken to the spirit of the surreal to find greater meaning from the real. He finds it far easier to...

DMovies Poll

Are the Oscars dirty enough for DMovies?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Most Read

Forget Friday the 13th, Paranormal Activity and the [Read More...]
Just a few years back, finding a film [Read More...]
A lot of British people would rather forget [Read More...]
Another year has gone by, and DMovies is [Read More...]
A small family of four lives in a [Read More...]
Pigs might fly. And so Brexit might happen. [Read More...]

Read More

Is 65 the new Jurassic Park?

 

Marina Hillquist - 28-03-2023

Marina Hillquist argues that the American sci-fi action thriller by the creators of A Quiet Place had the potential to unseat the monopoly of the Jurassic Park franchise, but it struggled to escape some familiar trappings [Read More...]

Riotsville USA

Sierra Pettengill
2023

Eoghan Lyng - 28-03-2023

American documentary conducts a probing investigation into one of the USA's most shameful moments in history, the Vietnam War, offering few answers but many damning insights - in cinemas on Friday, March 31st [Read More...]

Reclaiming Vincente Minnelli’s overlooked gem

 

Isy Santini - 25-03-2023

Not quite what it seems: Isy Santini takes a dirty look at Vincente Minnelli's Brigadoon and argues that the film - which most thought to be a musical - was in reality a horror piece! [Read More...]

Facebook Comment

Website Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *