Where Olive Trees Weep

Just watched Where Olive Trees Weep via Kinema. This documentary offers a powerful glimpse into the resilience and hardships of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It's a poignant exploration of loss, trauma, and the enduring quest for justice. I felt it to my core when Dr. Gabor Mate said, 'an empathetic witness can validate and say to people, "you are not alone, we can't do much to change your situation but we see it, we get it, and our hearts are with you."' The film's portrayal is truly heartbreaking and serves as a reminder that this conflict spans generations, far beyond any single event. A must-watch for its compelling storytelling and profound insight into a complex reality.

It only takes a heart to speak up for those who are vulnerable, to stand with them, and to offer support.

Spending over 100 minutes in the theater and witnessing just 1% of what the Palestinians have endured, and continue to endure, moved me to tears numerous times. As I left the theater, I found it difficult to compose myself-not only because of the suffering the Palestinians face as human beings but also because of their remarkable strength, resilience, and unwavering faith in their homeland, their people, and their roots.

This isn't about politics; it's about families being torn apart, and men, women, and children being bombed and shot at for more than 75 years.

I cannot emphasise enough how much this film needs to be watched. It is both beautiful and painful. It shows the strength, and courage and resilience of these people even though they face endless trauma and restrictions on every part of their lives, even their water. It gives multiple insights in to the issues faced, from the people themselves, to campaigners, to the psychological impact. Gabor Mate, as always, adds painful grounding to the narrative. As a viewer, you are brought from Painful lows to beautiful highs. The cinematography and editing is beautifully crafted. A must-watch. I believe this will be studied for many generations.

Brilliantly crafted and thoughtful in its choice of narrators, images and stories, Where Olives Trees Weep pulls no punches - handling a complex, emotional, devastating situation ...and subjects undergoing unimaginable trauma with the care they deserve. At the same time, the film's unapologetic aim is to lay bare what is an undeniable truth, one that anyone who watches the film will be unable to reject. In the filmmakers' own words... "We expected to find the same complexity on the ground: a multifaceted scenario of shared responsibility and denial. Within a day or two, like anyone who has traveled to those parts, we found out that the big picture is surprisingly clear: a brutal settler colonial project imposing a very harsh form of apartheid and bent on ethnically cleansing an indigenous population by all available means." A must watch for both those intimately familiar with the history of Palestinian oppression as well as for those who aren't.