In every conflict, there are multiple perspectives that come together to make the whole story. These narratives are rarely equally represented in media and pop culture, but that does not make any perspective less important or valid than another. In reality, the integration of these narratives comes closest to showing the ‘truth’ of situations. Voices Across the Divide, a documentary directed by Alice Rothchild, seeks to give a voice to the Palestinian people, whose narratives are so often underrepresented in the media. It features interviews with Palestinians as well as Dr. Rothchild’s own personal narrative to show different aspects of the Palestinain perspective, as well as to urge its viewers to question the formation and content of their
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However, hearing the voices of those displaced by or disturbed by the conflicts themselves was especially powerful. Watching and listening to these people share their life stories felt more personal than many other pieces we have read this year; we could watch these people break down in tears, and begin to understand that this conflict does not exist in a bubble, and has a substantial impact on many people. Palestinian voices often go unheard, especially in American media. Due to the U.S’s alliance with Israel and Israel’s significant technological advantage over Palestine, most of the media coverage is from the perspective of Israelis, leaving the Palestinian people silenced. By directly interviewing those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Rothchild made their stories personal for everyone watching. Watching someone tell about their experiences with tears streaming down their face makes their stories hard to deny, and created a sense of connection and honesty between the audience and the interviewees. Dr. Rothchild stated that one of her objectives of this documentary was to give those forced into silence a voice, and by including footage of her interviews with those directly affected by the conflicts, she did so effectively and
However, hearing the voices of those displaced by or disturbed by the conflicts themselves was especially powerful. Watching and listening to these people share their life stories felt more personal than many other pieces we have read this year; we could watch these people break down in tears, and begin to understand that this conflict does not exist in a bubble, and has a substantial impact on many people. Palestinian voices often go unheard, especially in American media. Due to the U.S’s alliance with Israel and Israel’s significant technological advantage over Palestine, most of the media coverage is from the perspective of Israelis, leaving the Palestinian people silenced. By directly interviewing those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Rothchild made their stories personal for everyone watching. Watching someone tell about their experiences with tears streaming down their face makes their stories hard to deny, and created a sense of connection and honesty between the audience and the interviewees. Dr. Rothchild stated that one of her objectives of this documentary was to give those forced into silence a voice, and by including footage of her interviews with those directly affected by the conflicts, she did so effectively and