Alternating between the unique vantage points of the Jews, the Arabs, and the British, director Elie Chouraqui’s historical drama re-creates the landmark struggle surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. From the concrete jungle of New York City to the desert paradise of the Holy Land, two young Americans – one Jewish and the other Arab – are forced to make an incredible series of life-altering sacrifices in order to fight for their dreams. As the struggle for control of Jerusalem gets under way, the Jews, Arabs, and Brits must all address such difficult issues as terrorism, politics, courage, and deprivation with a newfound sense of honesty and urgency. Drawing inspiration from authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s best-selling novel of the same name, O Jerusalem offers a textured commentary on a conflict that continues to stir controversy in the 21st century.
I thought I am not a good candidate to write a review about the movie (Being a Jew who was born in Israel) – Until I saw the other review here and I was shocked and sadden.
There are many “views” of what really happened in 1948. Each side holds its own view to events, as Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” wisely tells us about the subjectivity of truth and the uncertainty of factual accuracy.
The independence war is part of Israel’s collective memory as it is to the Arab side. Of course anything that I will write will be influenced with that filtration – as well as the previous reviewer and possibly the reviewers to follow. We all “own” our subjective truth.
So Instead of replying to the previous reviewer with “my facts” to the events that took place in 1948 in order to contradict his claims, I will halt here and urge you to not to give up upon your believes but to hold them back and see the movie. You will not regret it.
Yes, I know the movie will not be enjoyable to or appreciated by everyone. If you are an Arab or Jew extremist you will probably leave the cinema in the middle of the movie – If you wish to see a one-sided, “the truth is here” movie I suggest you see a Michael Moore movie.
But if you wish to see a movie with a brilliant script that tries to touch the human triumph and tragedies of the 1948 war with a superb cast that will make you shed a tear – this movie for you.
Also Known As (AKA): Ô Jérusalem, O’ Jerusalem, Beyond Friendship
BRRip 1080p | MKV | 1920 x 800 | x264 @ 2500 Kbps | 101 min | 1.94 GB
Audio: English AAC 5.1 @ 224 Kbps | Subs: None
Genre: Drama
