The Inner Tour

Ra’anan Alexandrovicz produced The Inner Tour in 2001. It is a 97-minute film about Israel and the tourists who visit their motherland. Several Palestinian people travelled to Israel in 2000 from the West Bank. In this movie reaction paper we will analyze the main issues depicted in the movie. This movie described mixed feelings of these tourists about their trip: familiar yet foreign landscapes, exciting and mesmerizing yet frightening emotions. They come home. However, they are tourists. The film shows the trip through time as well. There appear some memories from the past, which encounter harsh reality.

There are several very interesting episodes in the movie. First of all, one scene was unforgettable for me. It was a conversation between a Palestinian man and an Italian woman, introducing each other. His words appeared very bitter to me. He said he was Palestinian, not Israeli, and he came to see Palestine. Why would people reject their origin and history? Unfortunately, this idea is really inexplicable for me.

Secondly, there was a man with hopeless face who was among the tourists. The soundtrack reflected the inner state of the man showing his nostalgia and sadness. The music as if depicted solitude and gloom of the tourists.

Finally, I was very touched by the story of Wa’el. He was taking video camera with him to make some movie about his trip. Wa’el recorded his voice and ideas. He succeeded to meet his family during the trip. The most striking was that they were separated during the war, but they cannot be reunified now as there is high wire fence and barricade between them. They exclaimed and expressed their love, though could not hug each other. Metaphorical fence was in reality and described the lost time – as they lost so much time and still cannot be together.

This movie and particularly three scenes recall the memories from my life. I think of these separated families and recall the history of my country Korea. Unfortunately, violence and war do much harm to people: deaths, separated family members, disability, and many missing people.

I cannot imagine pain and sorrow of separated families in South and North Korea. We also have similar tour programs which allow some South Koreans visit their families in North Korea. Such programs are very popular as there is a demand.

The movie proves again that war and national conflicts bring only pain and losses to ordinary people. The Inner Tour is full of sensitive moments and touches one deep in the heart. It was a three-day trip to the past, a trip of heart-breaking memories and hopes. Some of the tourists succeed to meet their relatives alive; others must be content with the opportunity to pray on their graves, as in the story of an elderly man.

Apart from rural landscapes and deeply emotional scenes, we observe the images of modern Israel. There are green hills and improved roads, city streets and blocks of flats, beaches, and other modernizations. The city is developing as the time passes. The pain is being calmed but not forgotten. Such tour programs prove that the memory is alive, and pain is deeply rooted in human heads.

The documentary is very thought-provoking. It reflects historic events and does not let people forget about them. As ten years have passed, this film still reminds of those events. It offers viewers the humanistic portrayal of ordinary people who tell their story – whether they were driven out voluntarily or not.

I think Ra’anan Alexandrovicz depicts not only history and people’s life stories, but also introduces hope for better future. He offers the opportunity for peace and mutual future both for Palestinians and Israeli. People should not be taken from their homes and families. We have to leave in peace and calmness.