The Israeli documentary film "The Shepherd's Guardian" by Hadara Oren, screened at the Cinematheque in Tel Aviv, won an award at the latest DocAviv festival. This 70-minute film, in Arabic and Hebrew, portrays the Bedouin shepherds of the Jordan Valley, who face pressure and threats from the army and security forces, who repeatedly attempt to displace them.
Surprisingly, the film begins with the intervention of a Bedouin woman. Arab women are given a voice throughout the documentary, confidently sharing their opinions. The presence of women, both Arab and Jewish, highlights their involvement in the conflict and the importance of making their demands heard. Notably, an elderly Jewish woman intervenes between soldiers trying to relocate Bedouins. Women play a major role in the film, especially as they are often the ones moving equipment when required.
The audience is introduced to the desert landscapes, occasionally dotted with flocks of sheep, in absolute silence, which contrasts with the brutality of the security forces' actions that disrupt the apparent calm. The film focuses on the biblical struggles for land and water, set against the backdrop of the beautiful landscapes of Genesis.
We follow an activist who documents the plight of the northern Bedouins himself with his camera, in a kind of mise en abyme, subjected to violence from extremists who are hostile towards them. The film alternates between the beauty of the landscapes and the harshness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as both peoples fight over land. The alternating use of Arabic and Hebrew also symbolizes the ongoing struggle between the two peoples.
The film reveals the rudimentary life of the nomadic Bedouins who live in precarious conditions and are constantly moving with their herds. Military and police vehicles repeatedly arrive to urge them to leave, but without violence.
Here, the violence is between Jews rather than between Arabs and Jews. Jewish activists protect and defend the Bedouins from extremists. Jews and Arabs communicate in both languages, laugh, and live in harmony; there is a visible complicity.
Once again, the desert landscapes and silences help to soothe the tense atmosphere.
The viewer witnesses helplessly the violent, sometimes uncomfortable, scenes between Jews debating the future of the Bedouins. However, the Bedouins never attempt to resist the army's pressure. They exhibit remarkable resilience.
"I don't know how they endure it; if it were me, I'd either be in prison or dead," says the activist.
Throughout the film, the Bedouins are aided by a few passing Jewish human rights activists who testify on their behalf and oppose the population displacements they suffer. The viewer is transported from scene to scene between the Bedouin world and the complex reality they endure when the security forces arrive.
An intelligent documentary both in terms of its cinematic quality and its impact, it challenges Israeli society to reflect on its role and that of its citizens in the integration of minorities, aiming to evolve mentalities.
It concludes on an optimistic note. In the final scene, we see Jews and Palestinians from the region planting "trees of hope for a shared life" together. They have understood after October 7 that only mutual understanding seems to be the path to peace, even though it is still marred by mutual fears.
Caroline Haïat
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