His father’s family has Jewish roots, his mother’s side traces back to Palestine. Filmmaker Rafael Guendelman himself grew up in Chile. How did that come about? In Az Zeeb, he explores his family history through archival footage and interviews. The result is astonishing.
Grainy Super 8 footage of Chile and Israel, past and present, makes up most of the film as we listen to a range of personal recollections. It begins with Guendelman’s father, who moved to a seemingly promising Israel around 1970. It soon becomes clear that the reality there was far from rosy. Guendelman deftly weaves together present and past, personal stories and political history, ultimately revealing how a culture can be erased by overwhelming military force.
Interviews with family members and local residents keep adding another disturbing piece to the puzzle: almost all that remains of Palestinian history are people’s memories. In the final minutes, this point is driven home even more forcefully, as the archival material gives way to present-day footage.
Stills
