Filmmaker Nadav Schirman's documentary combines dramatic re-creations, archival film, and interviews to tell the story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Palestinian Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef. The oldest child, Mosab saw his father repeatedly arrested and imprisoned for long stretches, and he came to hate Israelis. Eventually taken into custody himself and brutally treated by both Israeli security and Hamas leaders (who were suspicious that he had been recruited as a spy), young Mosab's shock and disgust actually led him to become a mole for Israel's intelligence agency, Shin Bet. With a handler named Gonen Ben Yitzhak and a perfect position as Sheikh Yousef's right-hand man and gatekeeper, Mosab brought his own agenda to the mission: doing what he could to further a truce between Israel and Palestine—which was not quite what Shin Bet wanted. Here, Yitzhak speaks of his frustration with Mosab's defiance of certain orders, but also of how he gradually became sympathetic to Mosab's goals. A real-life tale that plays very much like a spy adventure—with danger, betrayal, close calls, and forged alliances—The Green Prince also displays hope that someday peace between Israel and Palestine might come. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a “Bring Your Own Doc” TV special hosted by filmmaker Ondi Timoner and featuring director Nadav Schirman (30 min.), bonus interviews (10 min.), a “Son of Hamas” TV interview with film subject Mosab Hassan Yousef (7 min.), storyboards, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a thrilling documentary.] (T. Keogh)
The Green Prince
Music Box, 101 min., in English & Hebrew w/English subtitles, PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $34.95, Jan. 20 Volume 30, Issue 1
The Green Prince
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