No Other Land
No Other Land
8.3100%100%
This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
Spoons reviewedMarch 7, 2025
Some films inform. Some films shake you to the core. No Other Land does both. A documentary born out of urgency, it thrusts the audience into the relentless struggle of Palestinians living under occupation, not through distant statistics but through raw, immediate, and deeply human moments.
Directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor, this is no detached observation—it’s an on-the-ground, life-risking testament to survival. Over four years, the filmmakers document the systematic destruction of Palestinian homes in Masafer Yatta, the forced displacement of families, and the sheer weight of living under military rule. The film doesn’t just depict oppression; it makes you feel it, scene after scene.
At its heart is the friendship between Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham—two men standing on opposite sides of an apartheid wall, both physically and legally. Their bond underscores the film’s most harrowing truth: one man’s mere existence is a crime, while the other moves freely. It’s a brutal juxtaposition, one that highlights the unequal reality of Israeli civil law and Palestinian military rule.
The courage to film under genuine threat to life is staggering. Every moment feels electric with risk—this is real, unfolding before the camera with no safety net. The visuals aren’t polished or cinematic; they don’t need to be. Their urgency is what makes them devastating.
No Other Land is not an easy watch, nor should it be. It’s a necessary, fearless act of defiance, shining a light on stories too often buried. And for those willing to look, it’s impossible to forget.