Rating: B
As much as we might want the world of geopolitics to exist in firms shades of black and white, the complexities of international negotiations and diplomacy are notorious for their shades of grey. Any deal making that exists between two countries is a tricky rope to walk, with the slightest breeze threatening to send those who walk the diplomatic walk tumbling over the edge of oblivion. To make matters worse, there is no such thing as a slight breeze in international politics. Every blow of the wind is a gale. It’s a wonder anything gets done on the international scale.
The decades long process to attain peace in the Middle East is arguably history’s greatest example of both the power and shortcomings of diplomacy and international relations. For 30 years now, America has stepped into the middle of this conflict to try and broker a deal between Israel and Palestine, with various peaks and valleys of success and failure, and at various costs to our reputation. The situation is such that many wonder if peace can be attained at all.
A new documentary, The Human Factor, from director Dror Moreh (The Gatekeepers), explores the complex history of negotiations between the two opposing nations and cultures, taking audiences deep behind the scenes of the negotiation process to examine just how the art of diplomatic relations actually works. It is a complex, information stuffed documentary that offers one of the best looks at the geopolitical process ever made.
It’s also extremely frustrating, not for what it shows us but for what it doesn’t. The Human Factor focuses its attentions strictly on the diplomatic process, giving us exclusive interviews with the negotiation teams that have tried, across 5 presidencies, to broker a lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. What it negates, however, is the complex histories between these peoples and the origins of the conflicts, leaving something to be desired for the story overall.
That said, Moreh’s exhaustive account is a fascinating look behind the curtain of the geopolitical landscape. Moreh proves himself adept at taking a complex story and making it easy to understand and digest for the layman. Three decades of negotiations makes for a lot of information, but Moreh is able to distill it to its basics without losing the gripping success and failures that make the story so fascinating and so important.
The Human Factor is a wonderful primer for history buffs and political junkies who might be wondering why the peace process seems so unattainable while remaining a steady goal for each president since the first Bush opened the process thirty years ago. Moreh examines the conflict primarily as a conflict of ideals and belief, giving us psychological insight into the culture clash that got us here and has causes violence on both sides.
Featuring extensive interviews with multiple negotiators and political appointees, we get firsthand insight into how each stage of the process works and the potential conflicts that can arise. It’s certainly not of interest to every film lover, but even those with a cursory interest will find mountains of information all presented as a fascinating political drama.
Though it could have been more exhaustive and given us more insights into the origins of the conflict that has threatened world security for decades, The Human Factor is still a wonderfully fascinating documentary that takes us behind the scenes into a little seen process. Though not as good as Moreh’s Oscar-nominated The Gatekeepers, The Human Factor is still a fascinating work by a documentarian who knows how to simplify the complex to help us all understand a little more about the world we inhabit.
The Human Factor is now playing in select theaters.
