FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE INNER TOUR
This empathetic 2002 documentary follows a group of dispossessed Palestinians taking an
organized tour of what they refer to as the “inner portion” of the land they consider their
own - Israel. The title also alludes to the psyche of people suffering from loss of
independence and wrongful expulsion as a result of the establishment of the Jewish
nation. Israeli director Alexandrowicz shot this compelling and often darkly ironic work
in 2000, months before the second uprising began, which would make such trips
impossible.
That there is more than one way to view the conflict superbly comes across as the film
observes people literally made to be tourists in their former home, particularly the sight of
their quietly startled faces as they listen to Israelis tell their version of their country’s
formation. Blunt juxtapositions demonstrate the differing perspectives: the fiercely proud
Palestinian woman describing how her husband killed an Israeli soldier, or the
incongruity of a people so confined within a limited space that this three-day trip marks
the first time they have been to a beach.
DVD Extras: Alexandrowicz insightfully remarks in the behind-the-scenes program that he was not surprised when the peace
talks broke down and the second Intifada began. His experience of making this movie had
made him realize the difficulty of achieving peace. From a cinematic perspective, the
director’s acknowledgment that he began to see his film as a predictor of further
violence is telling, especially in relation to his choice of footage. Reymond Levy
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