Dir.
Sherine Salama, Australia, 2006, subtitles
Review by Tim Waltho
In his latter days, Yassir Arafat was a
very hard man to get to. The Israelis bombed his compound
three times without success. Australian-Palestinian director
Sherine Salama had a similar problem getting to him. Salama
waited almost two years, to be granted a rare 20-minute interview
with the Palestinian leader, which amazingly turned out to
be the last he'd ever give. The Last Days of Yassir Arafat,
takes this interview as a centrepiece, around which it weaves
a touching portrayal of a man who sacrificed his life for
his people.
If you're looking for a documentary on the life and achievements
of Palestinian hero Yassir Arafat, this isn't it. The documentary
lacks anything of a back-story, or a history of the 40 years
Arafat was in power. What it does achieve beautifully though,
is to encapsulate the mood of an exact and important moment
in Palestinian history.
Split into two distinct halves, the film follows Salama
and her crew as they desperately attempt to get an interview
with Arafat. Salama has had some kind of prophetic dream
that the Palestinian leader will be killed soon, and wants
to interview him as quickly as possible, but it's not that
easy. Arafat is a very busy old man, tending to dignitaries,
refugees, foreign priests and the like. And his health is
waning.
The result of this
two-year wait is a documentary focused mainly on the director's
struggle to get an interview with Arafat, rather than a
study of the man himself. Strangely enough though, this
is where it works best, for although Salama's whining can
get a bit irritating at times, the world which surrounds
Arafat – the pilgrims who come to see
him, the guards at the compound, his best friend, and his
right hand men – is enthralling. Arafat seems to incite
a euphoric response in his people, who sing songs in honour
of a man who has come to symbolise resistance and hope in
a land of constant war and turmoil.
The interview, when it finally comes, is so unexpected that
it doesn't seem real. Arafat reveals himself to be a very
down-to-earth and humble old man, who answers Salama's intrusive
questions with a gentle warmth and humour. And, though the
interview only has a screen time of five minutes or so, what
really comes across is the unselfish love and compassion
that Arafat has for his people, totally justifying their
love in return for him.
Shortly after Salama's interview Arafat gets sick, and
the second half of the documentary descends into a grim
portrayal of a media frenzy, as reporters swarm like vultures
around the compound hoping to catch a final soundbite in
his death rattle.
The tension in the camp, and around Palestine, is palpable,
and as Arafat deteriorates, so does the atmosphere.
Arafat dies on 11th November 2004, and the following scenes
in Palestine, are truly moving. Women wail in the streets,
grown men collapse in tears, and a Palestinian spokesman
breaks down during a press conference. When Arafat's body
is helicoptered back into Palestine from the French hospital
where he died, the streets are packed full of thousands of
people welcoming home their dead hero. It is through these
remarkable scenes of grief and loss that it is possible to
glimpse what the Palestinian leader really meant to his people,
and how much they will miss him. It's difficult to imagine
the Prime Minister inciting such a reaction from the British
public.
Whilst not exploring Arafat's history in as much detail
as it should have done, The Last Days of Yassir Arafat, is
a perfect little piece of social history, in which Salama
has succeeded in showing the warmth and joy of a Palestinian
people who are often unfairly demonised in the west.
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