NewsBytes Recommends: 'Born in Gaza'—war's horrors told through children's eyes
Hernán Zin's Born in Gaza, on Netflix, is an incisive, matter-of-fact, searing documentary that places you directly in conflict-torn Gaza and brings you uncomfortably close to the lives ransacked by distressing, seemingly never-ending war and raging political conflict. By focusing on young children, it penetrates through the heart of the matter, capturing the lives of tortured souls right from ground zero.
The premise of the documentary and its setting
Set against the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict and filmed shortly after the 2014 Gaza War, it's an audacious exploration of how wars drive a stake through children who are at the receiving end in unimaginable, unparalleled brutal ways in conflict-ridden zones. Their lives have ended even before they could properly begin, and their entire existence has been corroded by the horror of war.
The opening shot and its larger meaning
The documentary begins with a boy scrounging plastic in debris—the house has been razed to the ground after incessant bombing, and now, the boy tries to make a life for himself at this cursed site. A place of death keeps him alive, and the fallen houses mirror the life of Gaza's inhabitants; walls crumble, so do lives, wars go on...so does misery.
Kids' innocence masks some heartwrenching questions
The documentary is marked by stomach-turning visuals of kids being ruthlessly, mercilessly attacked, and the physical and psychological toll the war takes on them can never be accurately recorded by history. "We grow vegetables, we don't grow bombs," says an innocent boy at one point. The realization then cuts through you—their lives, much like their lands, have been left barren, infertile, and impoverished.
Where do the kids go from here?
Every moment is a ticking time bomb for all the kids and every day brings with itself another threat—this might be their last day alive. Tears have dried up and their life is nothing but fallen fragments of the past; in some cases, it's almost as if people exist more in memories than they do physically. Unbelievably high stakes, but shockingly low global concern.
Despite overarching gloom, though, hope shines through
As is the case with several other movies/documentaries of this genre, Born in Gaza, too, shines a light on the only thing that seeps in despite a war waged on humanity —hope and unshakeable resilience. One child wishes to be a teacher when she grows up and another aspires to be a doctor; even a literal war cannot bomb the foundation of strong-willed perseverance.
At just over an hour long, it's a quick watch
One needs a strong heart to brave through the documentary, considering its subject is tragically unfolding in real time even a decade after the film was first released. As much a clarion call for action as it's an eye-opener about the limitless terrors of human depravity, Born in Gaza is one of the most important documentaries you should be watching today.
