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Two Dreams Equal One Nightmare

If you know absolutely nothing about the history of Israel and what Zionism is, then "Colliding Dreams" co-written and co-directed by Joseph Dorman and Oren Rudavsky, serves as an outstanding primer on the subjects. If you do think you are well-versed on this, it still will provide you an excellent overview, and it contains some footage that likely you have never seen before. Despite clocking in at over two hours in length, the pace and content keeps you from praying for it to end.

Perhaps the best thing about "Colliding Dreams" is its even-handedness in evaluating the ever-ongoing conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. Both sides are victims in some ways. The Jews in Israel today first came there (in modern times) as a result of six million Jews being slaughtered during World War II. The borders were carved out by England at first and then by the United Nations. The Palestinians were already there and they felt displaced from their homes, and some definitely were, but the other Arab countries treated the Palestinians even worse in some ways.

Through a series of thoughtful interviews and excellent archival footage, we are left with a sense of hopelessness about where it is all going, because it's the fringe elements of both sides that ensure that there can be no lasting peace. Those interviewed alternately express hope and resignation about the past and future. For anyone who follows events in the area, this will not come as a revelation.

It wasn't always this way. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Jews and Arabs did more than co-exist in the area. The respective groups were close friends that socialized extensively. As more Jews entered the area, Palestinians became concerned that they would be overwhelmed in numbers and that they would end up subjugated. Eventually that did happen, but it was more of a result of external forces than anything Jews did with malice.

If you're looking for solutions to the problems affecting the Middle East, of course they are not here, because as far as anyone can tell, they just don't exist. However, if you are looking for an in-depth view on how we have gotten where we are, then I can't think of a more concise way of understanding the situation, as the dreams continue to collide.