Remarkable

Rating: 10/10 (7 June 2010)

As an Israeli I found this 1966 movie to be more relevant to today's global issues than any of the movies that are released these days. Without glorifying any side Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo manages to present an unbiased and neutral portrayal of the conflict between the Algerians and the French – which could easily symbolize any of today's conflicts. But the movie's greatness should not be measured by its neutrality, but rather by its ability to create empathy among its viewers to both sides. The use of Italian neorealism (use of real location, non professional actors, etc) adds to the authenticity of events and thus also to the emotional stages we go through. Perhaps the most important point this movie clarifies is that for every coin there are two sides, and for every war there are two perspectives – none however justifies acts of violence.