2019 Hot Docs presents Advocate
Advocate (2019), directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche, is a character-driven documentary on the life and work of Jewish-Israeli lawyer, Lea Tsemel, a rebel with a cause, who for the past half-century has defended Palestinians and Jewish Israelis who have supported Palestinians rights in the Israeli criminal justice system.
The filmmakers weave together many visual elements to create an insightful and powerful documentary not only documenting the life and work of Lea Tsemel, a Jewish-Israeli lawyer defending Palestinians in the Israeli criminal justice system but explores her advocacy work in the broader context of the Palestinian question and Israeli-Arab relations. Interstitial titles (plea, offer, remand, indictment, etc.) of her current legal caseload, specifically advocating for the surviving Palestinian member of the Pisgat Zeev stabbing attack, structure the film from beginning to end juxtaposed against her backstory, her convictions and highlighting many important cases she represented in the past which include defending her own husband accused of treasonous charges. The documentary is full of twists and turns that create dramatic tension that moves the film. The documentary is well-crafted making use of diverse angle shots, editing techniques, split screens, animation, out of focus and superimposed images, first-person interviews, third-person interviews, archival footage, and still photography to create a powerful film about the life and work of Lea Tsemel.
Her convictions and lawyering have put her at cross swords with the Israeli public and the state. Although much maligned and despite the physical threats to her life on numerous occasions, public opinion hasn’t dissuaded her from pursuing a course of action that she feels will only improve Jewish Israeli-Palestinian Arab relations. The film explores her motivation, and her life which mirrors the history of the pre-and modern state of Israel. She was born in Haifa, Palestine, and the film delves into the complex persona behind this dynamo of a lawyer, whose mother’s extended family perished in the Holocaust (The Shoah), and “why in the heck does she do it?” When the crimes of her Palestinian Israeli clients are examined within the context of 50 years of occupation, are they criminal or they act of political resistance? You be the judge. There is more to the film, and by examining the life and work of Lea Tsemel, the filmmakers have in fact, shined a light on the Israeli criminal justice system and some of its flaws and weaknesses. The film raises many important questions about the Israeli criminal justice system and implies that there is a double standard when it comes to the sentencing of Palestinians. If the tables were reversed and Ahmad Manasra was a Jewish Israeli involved in a stabbing attack of Israeli Palestinian Arabs, the documentary speculates he’d receive a charge of manslaughter instead of attempted murder where there is legal precedent. Is there some undue bias influencing the sentencing of Israeli Palestinians at work here? Are Israeli Palestinians best served by their sentences and how about Jewish Israeli-Palestinian relations? You decide.
Advocate is a documentary where Palestinian Israeli perpetrators of crimes against the State of Israel in spite of their rationale and motivation are juxtaposed against the simmering tensions and hostilities amongst the characters meet up with compassionate lawyering in the persona of Lea Tsemel, a dynamo of an individual. The directors have succeeded in creating an intimate portrait of Lea Tsemel, an inspiring and passionate individual defending the underdog and in the process, gradually affecting social change. The documentary is well-written, edited, directed, and deserving of your attention. It has resonated with me on many levels and I believe it will for you too. The documentary has tremendous educational value and in my opinion, can serve as a vehicle to promote social justice.
Advocate will be playing during Hot Docs at Various theatres:
TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 on April 29 @ 3:30 p.m.
Isabel Bader Theatre on May 5 @ 6:15 p.m.
Tickets for Advocate can be purchased here!
Check out our review for Hot Doc Films here
