It’s easy enough to send seven Israeli and Palestinian teenagers to summer camp in Maine for a month, something else entirely to expect new friendships to last among people who’ve been at war for centuries. The plot in Mark Landesman’s documentary film “Peace of Mind” thickened when the Israeli and Arab teens returned home with video cameras to show each other what life in their respective villages looks like. What you see and learn from their video postcards back and forth over a year is how deeply isolated the kids are from each other and how frenzied daily life is in the Middle East.
You see kids watching world cup soccer and performing religious rituals. You see the righteousness of both sides of this conflict over several generations. You see self-conscious adolescents and you see resolute and responsible future leaders. Sowing the seeds of peace is this hour on the Connection.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Mark Landesman, director of “Peace of Mind.” Two of the teenagers in the film, Sivan Ranon, an Israeli, and Amer Kamal, a Palestinian.