Who Is Still Alive

How can the unhealed wound of displacement be depicted? How does one portray the agonizing guilt of survival and safety, of being far away from the devastation and fear endured by loved ones? Employing the detached canvas, reminiscent of Lars von Trier’s Dogville and Manderlay, Nicolas Wadimoff’s ingenious documentary – filmed in South Africa, one of the few countries that welcome Palestinians without a special visa – evokes a poignant intimacy through a purposeful detachment. Nine people – from Gaza’s middle-class, which is strikingly overlooked by the dominant narrative – sketch their home in chalk on a cold blackboard, while the white squares on the floor come to life as vibrant, fully experienced places.