Movie Review: No Other Land

Basel Adra lives with his family in the small Palestinian community of Masafer Yatta, located along the Southern border of the West Bank, around a dozen miles outside of the city of Hebron. The people there live relatively simple lives, with Basel’s father Nasser supporting the family by operating a single-pump gasoline station out of their home’s first floor.

The area of the Hebron Governorate that they call home fell under Israeli occupation following 1967’s Six-Day War and was then designated as “Firing Zone 918” by the Israeli army, allowing them to begin evicting the residents under the pretense that the area is needed for tank and ordinance training. The villagers don’t want to leave their homes and have since used a variety of methods in an attempt to be allowed to remain, including protests and a lawsuit in Israel’s court system, all to little avail, as more and more of their villages are destroyed, forcing the inhabitants to flee from the military and their demolition equipment.

Basel’s family began recording their lives years ago, in footage that feels not too dissimilar from many old home movies our own families might have. His familiarity with a camera subsequently led him to begin documenting what he witnessed as a young adult, as the IDF used increasingly cruel tactics to try and relocate his neighbors. This brings him to the attention of Israeli reporter Yuval Abraham, who wants to show his countrymen exactly what is happening in the region in their name. Together, the pair record and report on the continuing destruction, growing closer as friends, and sometimes finding themselves the focus of threats and violence.

The pacing of No Other Land is smart, spending stretches of time getting to know Basel and Yuval, learning about Basel’s upbringing, and watching their budding friendship. It not only invests us further in their fates but allows for some respite between the footage of homes being demolished, villagers being harassed, and protestors being gassed, beaten, and shot at.

It isn’t as brutal as 2023’s similarly eye-opening 20 Days in Mariupol, but it’s still intentionally and rightfully discomfiting to watch. I don’t think a lot of people are fully aware of exactly what is happening on the ground in the region for a variety of reasons, which makes this movie all the more important. No matter how many times humans treat each other with callous cruelty it remains shocking to me and there are some truly horrendous examples of it on display here. To be fair this is only one side of the story, but it’s hard to imagine how one could rationalize such inhumanity. I personally don’t have any answers about what we can do about this crisis, but making oneself aware is certainly a solid first step. ★★★★½