Colliding Dreams

Filmmakers Joseph Dorman and Oren Rudavsky's documentary presents the story of Zionism, from the pogroms in the late 1880s that led some Jews to leave Eastern Europe for a new life in Palestine, up to the present day. Archival photos, film footage, and interviews with scholars, rabbis, and former members of the Knesset provide historical and religious context, while man-on-the-street interviews with Jews and Muslims in Tel Aviv and the West Bank supply a hard dose of reality. The cumulative effect produces multi-faceted, often contradictory, and very personal definitions of Zionism, which is called affirming, positive, powerful, messianic, oppressive, or fascistic. It's either a movement that offers stability to Judaism, or one that must end; opinions shift depending upon who is being interviewed and where they live in the region. But the filmmakers don't take sides, giving all perspectives equal screen time. Colliding Dreams is both a great primer on Zionism for the layperson and an excellent introduction to the complicated political and religious history of the Middle East. Highly recommended. (P. Morehart)