The Occupation of the American Mind (2016)

The film is neatly set up by the steady and surprisingly articulate voice of Roger Waters, but it does not fairly explore complicated history and motivations from both sides. The one-sided arguments are manipulative and dangerous, and overlaying everything with a eerie, droning score in a minor key makes me even more skeptical that this is a fair representation of the issues.

The film starts to make an interesting case that Israel is an overaggressive bully, but while we reel in the horror of civilian deaths and hospital explosions, the film never gives Israelis a chance to share their perspective. And while the Hamas charter is downplayed in this film, it’s clear by their public comments and recent actions that Hamas still stands by it and fully intends to carry out the jihad described therein. Perhaps the western media does sympathize with Israel, and Europe sympathizes more with Palestinians. But why? Wouldn’t it be interesting and perhaps helpful to explore how we got here?

In the end, what’s the solution? The call to action? How can we address this issue? The film proposes nothing.

Some interesting perspectives are introduced, but almost all of them are one-sided and very few of them are critically examined. Add to this the film’s failure to propose any real solution to the conflict, and the film’s usefulness is limited.