Customer Reviews

9 Star Hotel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first saw this documentary I could not believe the ordeal the Palestinian men dealt with, risking their lives crossing the Israeli border to find work. But despite the raw sadness you feel watching their struggle for survival, the story ultimately is about the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. An excellent film by Ido Haar.

When I chanced upon "9 Star" at Tribecca I was taken aback by its story. It's one of plight and struggle, filmed in what I would call 'real terms' (the use of handheld cameras to not only permit the filming, but to further the 'reality of it all' stylistically). Now, having seen it, I stop instantly with each and every news story about what's going on in the region. The breached border in Gaza, the thousands of people struggling to create a life for themselves against odds that are nearly impossible. 9 Star really opened my eyes in a way only a film can to an ordeal being faced and a reality that is not easy for anyone.

While the 'real' story is newsworthy in and of itself, 9 Star also contains a storyline about friendship and loyalty and family and 'what it takes' to survive.

Interestingly, in an entirely different way, another recent film from the region had similar imapct for me. Syrian Bride, the story of a planned-marriage-against-the odds, also carries incredible impact. Built in reverse to 9 Star (a narrative fiction approach), Syrian Bride's topline story is one of union, but its underlying message is one of struggle-against-the-odds. I cannot help but wonder why this region of the world cannot simply get it together.

In a world where most films deal with nothing other than entertainment, both 9 Star Hotel and Syrian Bride bring to light daring stories that provoke thought and enlightenment.

Cheers to KOCH Lorber for having enough bravado to release such incredible quality works to the market.

Had the pleasure of seeing this moving documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival and hear the director Ido Haar answer a few questions about the making of the film after it screened. Thrilled to see that it has been released on DVD and will be exposed to a wider audience. It opened my eyes to an issue that I never knew existed - the plight of migrant Palestinian workers crossing into Israel - a situation not dissimilar to the one that exists on the U.S. and Mexican border.

What can I say about this amazing documentary? Only that it will open your eyes to the struggles of others. The thought of what these men have to go through to find work is amazing. The similarities between the border issues we face in the United States can be easily related to the issues faced in this extraordinary documentary.

Kudos to Ido Haar and KOCH Lorber for bringing this amazing documentary to the public

As one who teaches the history of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, I recommend this film to my students. But is it entirely honest to advertise it as a 'documentary'? The film is billed as viewing Palestinians off-camera, although the men seem often to talk to the camera, as of course they would in the circumstances. They self-consciously direct their 'private' conversations to the ever-present camera. More useful might have been actual interviews with them about their plight, and less on the chit-chat, which consumes much of the overly long 78 minutes. After all, the audience wants to know their opinions, not their play-acting abilities. Oddly the film omits the all-important CONTEXT: the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
I hope Haar will do another film on the same theme, with less of the so-called dialogues.

This is an interesting and compelling documentary I'm sure you will enjoy. Shown on the PBS documentary series P.O.V and also screened at numerous film festivals, 9 Star Hotel follows a group of Palestinian construction laborers as they attempt to make a living by crossing the border into the Israeli city of Modi'in in search of work. They spend their days building luxury apartments and at night sleep in crudely made compartments high up in the wooded hillsides. As the film moves on, we see the difficult conditions these men must endure in order to survive, particularly the threat of being arrested by the border police. We also become acquainted with two of the workers: Ahmed, a winsome collector of odds and ends some of which he sells and Muhammad, a pensive philosopher critical of the Palestinian Authority. It's easy to see that due to a shared sense of experience there is a deep feeling of camaraderie and familiarity that exists between the men as they live, work and struggle together under the harshest of conditions. Despite their struggles they're able to maintain their sense of humor and resilience, albeit with a stoic acceptance.

Some may argue that the film is one sided and doesn't delve deep enough into the social and economic aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which have created these unfortunate conditions. I however disagree, as many people have some level of knowledge about the situation. Those who don't can easily acquaint themselves with it by doing some research.

9 Star Hotel doesn't attempt to analyze socio-political issues or offer profound insights. Instead it offers an empathetic look into the human condition and the will to survive.

Israeli filmmaker Ido Haar creates a compelling and empathetic portrait of young men trying to eke out a meager existence in the midst of dire and adverse circumstances. Haar's use of a handheld camera gives the film a personal feel and adeptly lends itself to a cinema vérité aura. (Cinema vérité is a form of documentary making that uses unobtrusive techniques to record scenes in the most natural form possible.) As viewers we almost feel like a member of the group as we listen to them share their stories make the most of their circumstances. This is a documentary that I highly recommend and hope you will enjoy.

A sympathetic view of a band of Arab laborers who are undergoing a good deal of economic distress as their underground jobs in Israel begin to dry up. Interesting points of view regarding their family backgrounds, comradeship and feelings about mideast politics. On the other hand, it's not a film you'd really go out of your way to see. Subtitled

Excellent production. I wish we had more producer/directors like like giving different views.
I recommend this highly. I purchased my own to show friends.
It takes an open mind!

Though compelling story about the horrible conditions that some Palestinian workers must endure in order to make a living, I found the movie too long and too one sided.