‘No Other Land’ Movie Review [AFI Fest 2024]: This Unflinching Israel-Palestine Documentary Is A Must-See

Photo from AFI Fest

From Jeff Nelson

No Other Land is a monumental documentary that tackles its subject matter with nuance. It captures a compelling snapshot within the greater picture of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather than telling us how to feel, it allows the heartwrenching footage and the impacted Palestinians to speak for themselves on what they’ve persevered.

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham travels to the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta to follow a Palestinian activist named Basel Adra. They form an unlikely friendship in the face of the ongoing conflict, working together with a collective to uncover the Israeli authorities’ forced evictions of Palestinian residents. 

Chronicling back to Adra’s first memory of Israeli soldiers arresting his father, No Other Land centers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the context of a personal journey. Despite being only five years old, he vividly remembers this day. The mission to protect Masafer Yatta crosses generations, moving from father to son. Abraham’s account begins in 2019, but he uses Adra’s story as a tool to emphasize the passage of time since the Israeli government declared Masafer Yatta as closed military training grounds. The villagers’ fate rested in the hands of their oppressors’ court system, which resulted in forced evictions on a massive scale.

Abraham captures how Masafer Yatta is destroyed and rebuilt countless times. The military tears down their homes and schools, forcing the local community to secretly rebuild during the night. Rather than rattling off a sequence of events, Adra’s harrowing story gives a personal account of the impact. He refuses to abandon his homeland, but the Israeli government continues to remove one resource after another. Abraham can return home at will, while Adra is stuck in a neverending state of uncertainty. His involvement in protests and refusal to silence his voice puts him in the crosshairs of Israeli soldiers and settlers who prove the devastatingly violent lengths they’re willing to go in their quest for land.

No Other Land glances at personal struggles beneath the surface. Adra briefly touches on his worries surrounding his father’s legacy, unconvinced that he will have the energy to fill his father’s shoes as an activist and community powerhouse. Meanwhile, Abraham grapples with the village locals who aren’t entirely convinced of his intentions. Adra humbles the journalist’s ambitions of making a difference in the conflict, stating that a few blog posts won’t change the world. These small moments make the film all the richer, never presenting its subjects as untouchable icons. They’re real humans with fears, flaws, and doubts. 

Seemingly slight moments are transformed into big emotional swings. With every heated confrontation comes a looming sense of terror that life-ending violence could occur at any moment. However, this also holds true for the quiet moments. Abraham captures the small details, choosing to linger on the right moments that speak volumes with few words.

No Other Land is a deeply moving portrait of resilience in one of the most important films you’ll see this year. It’s an emotionally strenuous watch that also captures the villagers’ warmth within their community, refusing to allow hardship to define them. It acts as only one part of their journey. Adra makes a fascinating subject, incorporating a large-scale conflict into the context of a searingly personal story that is remarkably impactful.

Rating: 4.5/5

No Other Land played AFI Fest 2024 on October 24th, 2024.

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