The Junction
by Ilan Ziv, Director
Icarus / First Films, Brooklyn, NY, 2003
VHS, 52 mins., col.
Sales, $390; rental, $75
Distributors Website: http://www.frif.com.
Reviewed by Amy Ione
The Diatrope Institute
Santa Rosa, Ca 95406-0813
ione@diatrope.com
A few years ago I was among those who
juried an international childrens
art show. Work was submitted from throughout
the world and judged by country. One winner
from each country was then invited to
attend a weeklong event in Washington
DC. Most of the countries had a particular
flavor, although the narrative and visual
qualities of the submissions would still
demonstrate a range of personalities.
The drawings that stayed in my mind were
from a group of Palestinians. Depicting
people in cages and accompanied by words
like kill, it was difficult
to comprehend how I could judge
them. Knowing the kinds of passions that
defined the situation in the Middle East,
even before the United States invaded
Iraq, the emotions these children depicted
were easily placed within a context that
was certainly beyond the kind of judgment
one brings to an art contest.
The Junction, a film by Ilan Ziv,
brought these images to mind. It, similarly,
compels us to reconcile the irreconcilable,
as it reminds us that humanity is comprised
of living beings with deep emotions. The
narrative Ziv presents revolves around
the stories of two men, Fahmi Abou Ammouneh
and David Biri. Although they appear to
have little in common in life, their deaths
link them forever. Biri was the first
Israeli soldier and Ammouneh, the first
Palestinian civilian, killed at the start
of the second intifada that erupted
in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip in
2000. Since then large numbers of Israelis
and Palestinians have met a similar fate.
The Junction combines interviews
with families and friends with home videos
of Biri to show how death affects the
living. Particularly noteworthy were the
references to God on both sides. These
seemed ironic in light of the violence
and the divisive views expressed. The
references to God also brought to mind
the way in which people of all religions
have turned to their gods when called
upon to provide a rationale for events
they were unable to grasp.
One of the striking aspects of the presentation
was conveyed by the directors ability
to capture that the sorrow of loss strikes
all equally. Indeed, the film frames an
abyss that seems to offer no answers as
to what we may do to end the cycle of
violence and the resulting sorrow from
it. In this case, the void is tied to
the fates of the two boys, whose deaths
rippled through both communities, inciting
passions on both sides. Davids family,
for example, left their sons room
intact as they struggled for comprehension.
The father of his best friend, El'ad,
an incredibly articulate speaker, tells
us that he lost one son in an earlier
conflict. Then Elad, totally unable
to come to terms with the death of his
companion, committed suicide. David's
surviving comrades also demonstrate that
the senselessness of his death is not
easily grasped. These soldiers, instead,
remind us that even members of the army
must deal with internal struggles as they
embrace the kind of the camaraderie that
those within the service seem to develop
to cope with this life style.
Fahmi's family, likewise, fails to understand
the circumstances his death brought into
their lives. While there are no videos
displaying his person to us, the interviews
do give us a sense of his personality.
We also learn that their loss was yet
another personal tragedy to add to the
litany. When his relatives situate the
event in terms of the injustice perpetrated
by the Israeli occupiers, their stories
bring to mind that the misery of the Palestinians
has festered. Fahmis mother's family
was forced out of their village when she
was a baby. His uncle decries the misery
that follows them from generation to generation.
What can one say when presented with such
sadness? In this case, although the film
frames two lives, it also pointed toward
a larger reality, particularly apparent
during this Christmas season when I viewed
the film. The news in the United States
during this time continually included
sequences of families touched by the war
in Iraq. Among those who had lost family
members the most unforgettable was the
child who refused to accept the death
of a father meant the father was never
coming home. Several family members, endeavoring
to come to terms with the how and why
of wars casualties, also spoke of
how violence enflames and all that it
fails to resolve. Just as Davids
friend Elad took his life, it seems
that death in war has a negative impact
on the social and emotional fabric of
individuals and societies.
Ziv, the director, artfully reminds us
that abstractions about war do not negate
the real people who are affected by larger
circumstances. He conveys how events elevate
passions. This, in turn, results in an
excellent film that is moving, although
hardly uplifting, Given the pathos
he presents, it is perhaps useful to think
that this work was completed before the
death of Yasser Arafat in November 2004.
As Arafats death reminds us, circumstances
change. With each fluctuation in the fabric
of our lives, possibilities are given
new life. One can now again hope that
all involved will seek a constructive
solution, and events do offer hope. It
is heartening to know that the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Mahmoud
Abbas has begun his official election
campaign with a call for peace and negotiation.
Another sign that better times might be
ahead is that residents of a small Jewish
settlement said at the end of December
that they will move to a village inside
Israel, giving a boost to the government's
contentious Gaza pullout plan by becoming
the first community to agree to be evacuated.
Juxtaposing the events of The Junction
with those that signify hope for the future,
however, I am keenly aware that David
Biris father spoke of the promise
of peace that seemed to be alive when
his son first joined in the army. Still,
as 2005 dawns, it is encouraging that
leaders are renewing their efforts to
find a solution to the intractable situation
that currently has torn this region apart.
As this film reminds us, a world in which
this kind of film would be unnecessary
is a worthy goal.