5 Broken Cameras (2012)

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I think it's a unique documentary. Offers a glimpse of the reality of the lives of some of the more marginated Palestinian communities throughout Palestine. Watching this movie will definitely change your thoughts on the current situation.It's a very "down to earth" documentary. It shows some the inner thoughts and struggles of a man from Bi'lin.

WOW!! What can I say? I'll tryI have just finished watching this fabulous movie and, right now, I now feel an overwhelming compulsion to write this review, something that I don't normally do unless a movie is either stunningly good or terribly bad.I will try to avoid the question of whether Israel should actually exist in the first place. Were it not for movies like this one that show what greed and disregard for human life is really all about, one might reasonably argue that the State of Israel possibly has some rights in the area that was formerly all Palestine.This movie is really about the rapacious and greedy nature of Israel and its determination to take over lands that it was never given any mandate to occupy; in this case the West Bank.This is s story in documentary and indisputably factual style of the brutality which is daily meted out to the people of Palestine who have had their lands conquered by a force that is pretty well irresistible to them, the Israeli Army. It is a story of the struggle of basically defenceless people against an occupation of their lands that they have no hope of winning in the absence of concerted public opinion from the world outside the occupied territories. Tragically, that is the only possible hope that the Palestinian people have of resisting the further rape and occupation of their traditional lands. How very ironic that a people who suffered terribly under the Nazis during WWII should treat the people of Palestine in much the same way that they were themselves treated by the Nazis.This movie demonstrates, in the most graphic way possible, the struggle and sacrifice of a people who have been oppressed by the State of Israel and the Israeli Army since 1967. The courage that it took for these plain, ordinary people to stand up for their rights is almost beyond imagining; certainly it would probably not have been so if not for the courage of this amateur cameraman and his fellow Palestinians.There are very few matters in the modern world in which the question is simply one of right and wrong. This is one such matter. The Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is against international law and in blatant defiance and disregard of the United Nations and its many resolutions over the last 49 years.See this movie please and know that it is a true portrayal of the struggle of the Palestinian people against naked aggression and the infliction of death and injury, most disproportionately in the face of the peaceful protests of these Palestinians. These people are truly courageous and should be lauded by all in the civilized world. 9 out of 10 from me (I never give 10 to anything).JMV

I watched this documentary and had a total change in my view and support of Israel. To see soldiers shooting peaceful demonstrators (kids were also shot at) and also to see then shoot gas at them was horrible. The soldiers always shot at the unarmed and fenced in peaceful protesters. They killed innocent protesters for no reason. The also burned olive trees that the farmers living there had harvested for hundreds of years. Horrible. I will never support Israel again. They are not nice people and we in the US need to pressure our political legislators to also stop sending our countries needed funds to them so they can continue to kill innocents. If Israel is so smart, let them make money and fund their armies themselves.

5 Broken Cameras (2011) is a Palestinian documentary film directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. The movie is narrated by Emad Burnat, who films life and strife in his village in the occupied West Bank.Living in an occupied territory will always be frustrating and, at times, humiliating. However, the major issue that the film follows is the building of huge Israeli "settlements" in the occupied territory. (The "settlements" look like large, fortress-like, apartment complexes.)Although we have all seen footage of Palestinians throwing rocks, and Israeli soldiers responding with teargas and rubber bullets, Burnat films less dramatic instances of nonviolent resistance by Palestinian villagers. As a participant-observer, Burnat is himself vulnerable. He was seriously injured in one skirmish. The title "Five Broken Cameras" refers to Burnat's own cameras, which were smashed during confrontations with Israeli soldiers. (Some of the cameras were purposely destroyed, while others were hit by rubber bullets.)Whatever your position is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it's useful to see a film that presents the Palestinian perspective. We saw this movie at Rochester's Little Theatre as part of the excellent Witness Palestine Film Series. It will work better on a large screen, but it's worth seeing on DVD if that's the only option available. Five Broken Cameras was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 as Best Foreign Film.