Synopsis
Five broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously chose nonviolent resistance when the Israeli army encroached upon its land to make room for Jewish colonists. Emad buys his first camera in 2005 to document the birth of his fourth son, Gibreel. Over the course of the film, he becomes the peaceful archivist of an escalating struggle as olive trees are bulldozed, lives are lost, and a wall is built to segregate burgeoning Israeli settlements.
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Cast
- Emad BurnatEmad Burnat
- Mohammed BurnatMohammed Burnat
- Soraya BurnatSoraya Burnat
Recommendations
- 90
The New York Times
5 Broken Cameras deserves to be appreciated for the lyrical delicacy of his voice and the precision of his eye. That it is almost possible to look at the film this way - to foresee a time when it might be understood, above all, as a film - may be the only concrete hope Mr. Burnat and Mr. Davidi have to offer. - 80
Village Voice
What makes 5 Broken Cameras stand out is its insistence on nuance and its refusal to get caught up in the self-defeating war of words over who is the bigger victim. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
The result is uniquely powerful, putting faces and human consequences to a political dispute that seemingly will never end. - 80
Time Out
There has to be room for this kind of plea, especially a work that, obliquely, captures so many largely unreported details: the night raids rounding up children, the torn-up olive trees and kids' soccer games in the battle zone. - 75
Slant Magazine
The documentary provides a birdsong of perseverance in the face of irrational violence, immense historic anger, and grim, seemingly insurmountable realities. - 75
The A.V. Club
That intertwining of Burnat's home life and his political one make 5 Broken Cameras an unusual, moving work about a much-explored topic. - 75
New York Post
The issues are complex and not easily solved. But no matter which side you are on, you'll be moved by this intimate work. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
The film's sense of intimacy, its closeness to real people and painful events, allows it to reach a deeper place than more conventional pieces of political rhetoric.
