Apples of the Golan – A Review
Directed by Keith Walsh and Jill Beardsworth
Due to the fact that Syria and Israel haven’t been far from news headlines in the last 12 months many people might be confident enough to competently debate the Middle East conflict or give a broad outline of what is going on in Syria at the moment. Will the Irish documentary Apples of the Golan change our perceptions or understanding of these topics?
During the Six Day War in 1967, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, displacing almost 130,000 Syrians. Almost overnight these Syrian Arabs went from living in Syria to living in Israel. Before this there had been 139 Arab villages in the Golan region. Now only 5 remain. Apples of the Golan concerns itself with one of these villages, Majdal Shams, and the lives of those who still live there.
Apples of the Golan is a great example of the cinema verite type of documentary film making. There is no narrative voice-over, no instruction of any kind – the inquisitive camera simply follows its subjects, letting them air their thoughts, voices and opinions. A good documentary should also make you ask a question of yourself though and Apples of the Golan is no different as it is primarily concerned with the idea of identity. Indeed, those who feature in Apples of the Golan, describe quite passionately their struggle to hold onto who they are. These are Syrian Arabs who live on land that was once Syrian but is now Israeli. These are people who have had the Israeli nationality forced upon them though they no more identify themselves as Israeli as I do myself as a parakeet. In fact, those who do not accept the Israeli nationality are not entitled to call themselves Syrian (though they were born Syrian), instead they are deemed as “undefined” on their passports. They belong nowhere. This is a serious bone of contention for all those who feature in Apples of the Golan, but their lack of identity is tempered by their anger toward Israel. One grandfather goes to great lengths to highlight the importance of Syria and its president, Bashar al Assad, to his grandchildren. Getting them to kiss the flag and idealise Assad as a great Syrian hero. Yes, one thing is blatantly obvious – Apples of the Golan is definitely pro-Golan. This stance is cemented in place by the deafening lack of Israeli voices. You could certainly argue that this is neither a Syrian nor an Israeli film, it is purely about the Golan but the pro-Syrian bias does leave a rather sour taste as, in many ways, this film does not feel like a debate but a lecture. Yet it clearly highlights the strength and pride of the Golan people, the indomitable spirit of a people that live very much like an isolated, island community.
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Considering the topic, Apples of the Golan is intentionally a sparse film; it features almost no incidental music, no elaborate camera work or truly spectacular settings. It relies simply on those telling their stories. There is a lot of bitterness here, from those who feel that Syria has let them down and have not re-taken the land annexed by Israel – one man goes as far as saying “may God judge you who has separated us.” The only things those from the Golan have to be proud of are apples. Their apples are the only commodity that those from the Golan are allowed export to Syria – nothing else can cross the border except students, pilgrims and brides. The growing of apples is almost viewed as an act of defiance, as the only thing that Israel cannot take away from them. As one of the numerous pieces of graffiti glimpsed during this film states – “It’s a fucked up life.”
Apples of the Golan presents the viewer with numerous heartbreaking moments, from a father whose son cannot be buried in the Syrian Arab graveyard, to a bride who can only share her wedding day with her family across the Syrian/Israel border. Yes, there are many moments in this film that will challenge you – I had a bit of a cry at one point during the watching of this film. Yet it isn’t all gloom and melancholia – Beardsworth and Walsh present us with a bunch of teenagers trying to use music to make sense of their situation, children trying to dance like Michael Jackson or two Salsa dancing youths practising among the vast Syrian orchards. There is magic in this film. It is just too short. At 80 minutes Walsh and Beardsworth leave you feeling that there is a lot more story to tell and maybe that was the idea, this is not a definitive history of the Golan but rather a taster, something to encourage the viewer to learn more.
Apples of the Golan is a flawed film but it is certainly a documentary worth seeing – just make sure to bring a tissue.
Apples of the Golan goes on release today (Friday 16th) at the IFI and will include a Q&A with both directors, hosted by Newstalk’s Shona Murray this evening at 18.30. Tickets are available here.
