Wall

Simone Bitton's nonpartisan documentary examines the “security fence” in Israel-Palestine that was built in the name of antiterrorism but effectively creates a greater divide between two peoples already split by faith and ethnicity. With strong, sometimes surreal imagery and a coy sense of irony, Wall takes viewers on a tour of some of the more unusual aspects of the dividing line—which is sometimes a complex electric fence and in other places a concrete barrier—offering surprising revelations along the way. Due to poor economic conditions, many of the builders are Palestinian, and they see their work as a job rather than as an act of building themselves out of a country. In fact, the wall doesn't exactly correspond with the official “green line” that divides the area, and some Palestinians have been separated from most of their land and now have trouble making a living, creating more bitter feelings towards the Israelis. Meanwhile, a stuffy Israeli official, framed by flags on each side, describes the fence as an antiterrorism measure, ultimately declaring that the ongoing conflict is “all the Palestinians' fault.” A disturbing look at the visible symbol of a seemingly intractable standoff (made even more timely by the recent ascendancy of the militant group Hamas in the Palestinian government), this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)