When the Boys Return

The whole village throws a homecoming party for them: the young boys from the West Bank who've been held as political prisoners in Israel for months, sometimes even years - just because they threw rocks at Israeli soldiers. After the festivities, the boys have to learn to cope with their traumatic arrest and their time in jail, where their rights as minors were completely ignored. They have to live their lives in an occupied territory overrun by soldiers, military raids and demonstrations. In group therapy, the boys describe the ever-present fear of being arrested again. They're finding it hard to pick up the pieces, many of them don't go to school, and they're also dealing with issues of aggression. They talk about how their families have been torn apart, with cousins or brothers still in prison, some being tortured. The sessions are meant to help them overcome those obstacles and look to the future, but their plans are focused on just one thing: an end to the occupation.