Bridge Over the Wadi (Tomer Heymann & Barak Heymann, 2006): Isreal

Reviewed by Kevin Tran. Viewed at the 2009 Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival.

 Bridge Over the Wadi is a documentary that chronicles an entire school year at Isreal’s first conjoined Arab-Jewish grade school called the Bridge Over the Wadi. It is a film that literally takes an elementary look at the conflict between Arabs and Jews. The film closely follows both Arab and Jewish third graders and their families. Although the idea behind the conjoined school is to create peace between the two ethnic groups, many of the parents and even some of the school’s faculty find it difficult to explain what peace is, especially to third graders.

The film starts off with the beginning of the school semester. Parents and students are excited about being a part of this historic feat. Many of them know how important it is to establish peace between the younger generations, to teach them to love their fellow human being. Yet, many are still hesitant about subjecting their children to the teaching of an ideology of their so-called enemies. One parent calls it backwards when he sees his Arab son sing songs at a school assembly during Hanukah.

The Heymann Brothers piece together important scenes that show Jewish/Arabic friendships. Scenes of boys playing video games, girls enjoying slumber parties, and going to amusement parks–completely frictionless scenarios until an adult enters the scene. The conflict is elevated during the second semester, when the Jewish community celebrates Israel’s Independence Day; on the same day, Arabs mourn the loss of their land.

The film’s beautiful score provided by Eli Soorani boost the un-cinematic, digital videography of Daniel miran, Uri Levi and Itai raziel and makes the visuals a bit more lasting. Although the film is rather conventional, the filmmaker’s purpose it to not to be inventive or groundbreaking, but rather to educate and shine a new light on an old issue (and a current issue).  The film does this, and does it well.
The film is a strong and important documentary that should be seen by anyone who doesn’t know much about the one hundred year old conflict between Arabs and Jews. It doesn’t preach, it isn’t biased–it is simply honest, as honest as the innocent children it.

You can watch the film in its entirety online:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/69762/global-voices-bridge-over-the-wadi