Susya

Palestinian father and son Muhammad and Nasser Nawaj'ah visit the archaeological remains of a Roman-era Jewish village. A quarter of a century ago, before the ruin was discovered, Muhammad and Nasser were two of the few hundred Palestinians that lived in the ancient homes. Their memories of their lives here are not shared by the Israeli settler who operates the present site. Muhammad and Nassar are required to buy tickets in order to view their former home, and the son's specific recollection of an incident involving himself and the settler is dismissed with scorn by the latter. It takes no more than a short visit to this place to make it all too clear how painful the relationship is between past and present in Israel. "This was our home," says Muhammad as he walks from room to room, "This our home." The already distressing situation becomes even more uncomfortable when Israeli soldiers arrive, creating a parallel with another painful past. The Israeli directors Dani Rosenberg and Yoav Gross are very much present in the film, and don't shy away from their subject - with their camera, they are actually full-fledged characters in the narrative. It is from this position that they record people from completely different worlds unwillingly crossing paths.