Promises

Promises was filmed over a period of four years, from 1997 to 2000, a time where there seemed to be a degree of relative calm in Israel and the Palestinian Territories (following on from the Oslo Accords). Perceiving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict through the eyes of seven children, this film is an astoundingly compassionate and illuminating document about the human cost of war. Four of the children are Jewish and live in the city. Three of the children are Arab and have been born and raised in refugee camps in the Occupied Territories on the West Bank. Though divided by a journey of less than twenty minutes, it is as if they live in completely different worlds. By allowing the harsh realities of terrorism and the Intifada, of occupation and resistance, to be filtered through the experience of the children, “Promises” builds a compelling argument for multicultural and religious tolerance. The film climaxes with a meeting of the Palestinian and Israeli children which articulates the profound desire for peace on both sides. However, given the complexity of the politics of the conflict, “Promises” refuses to pretend that there are simple or straightforward answers to the co-existence of the two peoples. A coda which sees the filmmakers return to Jerusalem finds the children older, more cynical, and already involved in the hatred that arises from war: it is as if the failures of the peace negotiations are mirrored in the daily lives of the children themselves. “Promises” was nominated for an Academy Award for best feature documentary and it is a testament to the ethical and humanitarian commitments of its directors, Shapiro and Goldberg, that it allows for both emotional and intellectual engagement by the viewer, an engagement that never strikes one as manipulative. There is no false politicised “objectivity” assumed in “Promises” by the directors. Part of the film’s power arises from Goldberg and Shapiro desiring to assist the children on both sides of the conflict. It is their compassionate involvement that gives the film its grand tragic force. The video comes with explanatory notes and a study guide.