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48
August 20 e 2.009
Walled Off
Jerusalem rooms without a view.
Michael Fox
Special to the Jewish News
0
tics of navigating checkpoints, inevita-
bly results in a decrease in visits.
It is hardly a policy or goal of the
Israeli government to make life tough-
er for the residents of Notre Dame
des Douleurs or their families, of
course. From the filmmaker's point of
view, this adverse consequence of the
wall's existence is another ignominy
Palestinians endure under occupation.
A couple of the residents are vocif-
erous in their anger and frustration.
"The situation is at a dead end," one
laments. "I can't breathe:'
To American Jews, This Way Up
will play as a not so thinly veiled con-
demnation of Israel. One must admit,
however, that the elderly folks shown
are the most benign, non-threatening
critics of Israel one could imagine.
n the P.O. V. Web site, French
filmmaker Georgi Lazarevski
describes This Way Up as
"a more intimate, almost nonpolitical
film on the Arab/Israeli conflict?'
It's certainly true that his elliptical,
strikingly photographed 2007 por-
trayal of the Palestinian residents of
the east Jerusalem retirement home
Notre Dame des Douleurs (Our Lady
of Sorrows) is observational in nature,
rather than didactic or educational.
There's no narrator, no talking heads,
and the participants aren't even iden-
tified by name (except when they're
addressed by someone else in the film).
But "almost nonpolitical:' in the con-
text of the Middle East,
is the equivalent of
"a little bit pregnant."
There's no such thing,
and to suggest oth-
erwise is a tad disin-
genuous.
If one were to show
Israel's "point of view"
in building its defense
barrier (which takes
the form of a wall in
some urban areas), it
would be noted that
the terriorist attacks
The separation wall near the Home of Our Lady of
resulting in scores
of Jewish deaths and Sorrows
maimings have all but
ceased since the barrier was built.
Lazarevski, who is also an accom-
This Way Up, which clocks in at an
plished still photographer, integrates
unhurried hour, premieres 10 p.m.
numerous static shots of the security
Tuesday, Aug. 25, on PBS stations
barrier that range from beautiful to
nationwide, but won't be broadcast
ironic to sobering. His editorial com-
until 1 a.m. Aug. 26 on Detroit Public
ment is pretty unambiguous, but the
Television's Digital Channel 56.2.
most memorable images are the art
The filmmaker's initial and fun-
shots — a stunning study of the wall
damentally political decision \vas to
ribboning across the landscape like a
choose an institution situated right
Christo installation, or the shadow cast
next to the massive concrete security
by the cross atop Notre Dame.
barrier. For most of the elderly resi-
This I,Vay Up, like every documen-
dents, the wall doesn't intrude on their tary that comes out of Israel, the West
circumscribed daily routine.
Bank or Gaza, is a Rorschach test that
But there are seniors whose adult
tends to reveal more about the viewer
children come to see them on a semi-
than the subject. Viewed as another
regular basis, and to them the wall
facet in the ever-expanding mosaic of
represents a palpable disruption. The
Israeli-Palestinian portraits, however,
authorization required to cross, com-
the film offers a plethora of unexpect-
bined with the time, energy and logis-
ed insights. _____
—
This Way Up airs 1 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, on Detroit Public Television's
digital channel 56.2. For more information, go to www.pbs.org/pov.