Josh Bing - Private Review

The film we recently viewed in class, “Private”, is a great film that pertains to the Arab Israeli conflict. The film’s use of the single camera technique, in which filmmakers use only one camera during filming, results in long shots which make the viewers feel like they are part of the conversations taking place. Furthermore, there are many point of view shots which makes the viewer feel like they are viewing the events taking place firsthand. These film techniques combined make the film seem incredibly realistic to the viewers and, thus, makes the film easy to relate to. The story deals with the Israeli army occupying a house owned by an Arab family. In a way, the film sends the message that the Arab Israeli conflict may be able to end peacefully. This can be seen towards the end, when the leader of the occupiers says “Shalom” to the father of the family, rather than “hello”. The movie could be sending a message that Arabs should rise up against the Israelis. This can be seen when one of the family’s children sets up a trap with a live grenade in their greenhouse. All in all, “Private” gives an intriguing, almost first person view of a very long conflict.