jnathanson-39131 In this film we meet Israelis who have incredible histories, and through them we, as American viewers, come into deeper contact with the history of Israel. We start to feel a relationship with these speakers, without knowing, for most of the film, where they are on the political spectrum. The impossibly complex story of Israel is told through the personal stories of the speakers, and also from footage of the events. It becomes a very powerful telling and I think that everyone who sees the film will feel the the greatness of the country and the extreme difficulties of it's internal conflicts and divisions. The filmmakers made excellent choices of who to interview; there are some great people on screen. I wish this film could be seen by so many people who know only one side of the issues of the other. The filmmakers have done their best to balance a number of perspectives.

marcus-45736 Colliding Dreams is an excellent guide through the fraught aspirations and drives which have shaped Zionism and which flow from it. The complex history is presented with sympathy for all and a clarity and balance that allow the viewer to come away empowered to engage, at least, in informed listening. The film contains fascinating historical footage and nuanced and candid interviews with experts, historical actors and contemporaries with many different perspectives. As a result the viewer gains a layered and deepening understanding as the story moves from the roots of Zionism through Israeli history to the current wave of religious Zionism. While commentators, above, who want be proved right may be disappointed, viewers wanting to see how successive hopes have been fulfilled or foundered and what the costs have been are rewarded.

jessica greenbaum I have been thinking about this movie all day because Colliding Dreams is nothing less than a life changer. It affected me in an analogous way to seeing Shoah.Like Shoah, Colliding Dreams took a 360 degree walk around an integral part of my identity that had always been confusingly and troublingly blurred—and crystallized it. I grew up with an unasked for connection to Israel, but it was like a relative I never saw, didn't know, couldn't tell how to feel about. If I had any sense of Israel, it was through a very partial and distorted lens of my own teen experience getting kicked off kibbutz, paired with my inability to grasp the politics or currents of feelings. Jews going to Israel only told me I couldn't get it, that I merely had a reductive American take on things. The people who spoke to the audience through the interviews were each awesome. I keep thinking of them! The one who looked like Ray Bolger with his comments about making a good state, and the guy who said "We are trapped!" The young bald guy. The Peace Now woman --what a spirit--with her anecdote about the stickers and the video of her when she was young, and other guys with messy hair. Orly, who moved away, as I have always thought I would if born there. The wonderfully articulate woman with the necklace. I really want to see it again so I can call them by name. What essential, valuable intellects for us to know--what great intelligences are brought to us through them. I knew that whenever someone came on camera I was going to want to hear what they had to say. The directors found the most profound voices and offered them to us in an astoundingly organized way, year by year, decade by decade. They literally spliced a century of time! And I loved the framing of the movie with the siren and the moment of silence, that freeze into motion. Absolutely perfect! Thank you to the directors for this dedicated, most complicated, grace-filled film. It really made a difference in my life. I have more of a sense of Israel than I have had in my 58 years--and much more a sense of authentic connection because of that.

wrkcwnwnx I won't repeat the excellent and thorough review above, except to state that this film is seriously defective and racist. According to the film maker, who I met this evening, he is trying to discuss the conflict from an Israeli view. However, he gives ample time to Arabs and does not balance their errors with corrective interviews, The general tone goes like this,"if the mature Jews would be nice to the Arab children, the children will be behave and we can all get along". It's all about what the Jews have done wrong. He states that there were no problems between Arabs and Jews until the Zionist arrived. Wrong. He states that the PLO/PA has recognized Israel. Wrong. He states that Israel needs to leave the west bank but does not state that the PA has rejected peace deals from three Israeli Prime Ministers. I could go on, but let me summarize like this, if you want to see a biased film which bashes Jews and never asks Arabs to take responsibility for their actions, then this is the film for you. If you want a film that examines the complexity of the Israeli-Arab conflict, or a film which looks at the complexity of internal Israeli conflicts and movements, look elsewhere.