In the Land of Pomegranates

This long, uncompromising documentary demonstrates the intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

At the heart of the film, a group of young adults from both sides convene in Germany for a retreat to hear each other’s case. The hope is they may reach some new understanding, some acceptance, some softening in the battle lines. The convenor is a Palestinian man who converted from hard-liner to hopeful. His hope continues in the face of no apparent reforms.

Both sides are passionate and articulate in making their case. The few signs of softening are on the Israeli side. The young Palestinians won’t abandon the Right of Return that would shatter the Jewish state. The Israelis live among conflicting viewpoints, the Palestine among their own reassertion.

  The discussion is intercut with three other lines of action. One is news footage of the violent eruption of terrorist attack and IDF harshness on duty. In another, a settler on the inner edge of the Green Line discusses her dreams of a secure life and the encroaching assault upon her home. 

Finally, a Palestinian mother leaves her family behind to bring her young son to Israel for a life-saving heart operation. To the Israeli doctor no-one in need of his help is an enemy. Spoiler alert: the kid survives. He returns a few years later with his father for a checkup. There’s a younger doctor, the patient is older and still resntful, but the violent environment persists.

If the latter subplot advantages the Israeli position, there is an unsettling coda. A couple of cute little Israeli children, possibly the Green Line woman's children, talk about surviving the tensions of a constant existential threat. But they feel safe because they are close enough to Gaza to hear the bombs but far enough away to feel safe.

  That is an illusory security. With their rockets and invasive tunnels Gaza remains a serious danger. Even more threatening would be converting the West Bank to another Gaza. Then no part of Israel would be safe from terrorist rockets and bombs. 
     This dramatic circumspect debate allows no sentimental or optimistic conclusion. For 85-year-old director Hava Kohav Beller has witnessed too many lapses to hold much hope. Credit her for this attempt to bridge the abyss. 
     The title is suggestive. I don’t remember any mention of a pomegranate in the film. But the fruit is an effective symbol. The pomme grande is “the great apple,” so it’s sometimes taken to be the apple in the Garden of Eden, representing the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Besides, when you bite into it it bleeds. That makes it almost human.