The documentary No Other Land delivers a harrowing and unfiltered look at the relentless demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank. Despite receiving critical acclaim—including an Oscar nomination and wins at the Berlin International Film Festival, Gotham Awards, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards—the film has struggled to secure distribution through a major U.S. streaming platform. Instead, the producers have opted for self-distribution, ensuring its urgent message reaches worldwide audiences.
The film is a raw and compelling advocacy piece, presented through the lens of a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four directors. Unlike many documentaries that strive to balance perspectives, No Other Land unapologetically highlights the plight of Palestinian communities and urges international intervention. It serves as a direct call for the United States to pressure Israel into halting the destruction of Palestinian homes.
A Firsthand Account of Systematic Displacement
At the heart of the documentary is Basel Adra, an activist born in Masafer Yatta, a group of villages in the southern mountains of the West Bank. The Israeli government has ordered the removal of Palestinians from this area to make way for a military training zone. The film, shot between 2019 and 2023—before the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war—chronicles the unrelenting destruction of homes by Israeli bulldozers, which are protected by soldiers. As simple concrete structures are reduced to rubble, residents seek shelter in caves, only to rebuild under the cover of night, knowing the demolition crews will inevitably return.
“They destroy us slowly. Every week, a home. Every week a new family must decide: Endure, or leave their land,” the film narrates, encapsulating the persistent struggle of Palestinian families in the region.
Joining Adra in this sobering documentation is Palestinian co-writer and co-director Hamdan Ballal, alongside Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and cinematographer Rachel Szor. In one of the film’s most striking moments, Abraham arrives in Masafer Yatta and is immediately confronted with a question: “What do you think about what your country is doing to us?” His response is unequivocal: “I think it’s a crime.”
A Cycle of Resistance and Injustice
The documentary does not shy away from the grim reality on the ground. Soldiers, operating under vague court permissions that exclude Palestinian voices, forcibly evict elderly residents and children. Entire families, whose lineage in the region traces back to the 1830s, are left displaced. Unlike Israeli citizens, these Palestinians cannot vote, and their vehicle license plates distinguish them as second-class residents.
The film captures heartbreaking moments: women salvaging rugs from the rubble, children staring in shock as their homes crumble, a schoolyard being demolished, and a well being filled with concrete. In some scenes, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian villagers while soldiers stand by, indifferent.
Armed with nothing but cellphone cameras—tools the soldiers visibly despise—the residents attempt to document their struggle. When they stage a march carrying a banner that reads “Palestinian Lives Matter”, they are met with stun grenades.
The documentary masterfully weaves together shaky cellphone footage, archival news reports, and poetic cinematography of the villages at night. In one particularly haunting sequence, present-day images dissolve into past footage of Adra’s father protesting the same injustices—a painful reminder of a never-ending cycle. One of Adra’s earliest memories is of his father’s first arrest.
A Testament to Human Resilience
Despite its bleak subject matter, No Other Land also captures moments of life’s small joys. Palestinian children laugh while playing in the streets, engage in snowball fights during winter, and swing gleefully on makeshift playgrounds. In a touching scene, as Adra prepares to be arrested, his mother, in a universal gesture of parental care, advises him: “Go wear a warmer coat.”
The film’s conclusion is poignant yet unresolved. “I hope we’ll change this bad reality,” Adra says. Abraham echoes, “I hope.”
No Other Land is now playing in select theaters. It is unrated but contains language and scenes of violence. Running time: 95 minutes. ★★★½ (3.5/4 stars).
