Rabin in His Own Words

This examination of the life and times of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is constructed largely from archival footage, photographs and interviews. Director Erez Laufer (One Day After Peace, SFJFF 2012) leads us through a kind of visual memoir of the Nobel Prize–winning general, diplomat and leader, from his early days to his tragic death. The film shows the childhood of Rabin, the young aspiring agricultural engineer in the Yishuv. Rabin describes his recruitment into an early defensive unit by Moshe Dayan, and the film follows him from his rapid rise to chief of staff of the Israel Defense Force, to ambassador to the United States and then to the top post in the nation. The film does not flinch from examining Rabin’s role in such controversial actions as his 1948 order to evacuate the Arab population of Lod. Rabin laid the groundwork for the Camp David Accords, and his off-the-record commentary is heard on the extremism and pointlessness of the settler movement. Rabin is shown interacting with Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and other figures of major historical significance. Ending just before his assassination, the film reminds us of the possibility for peace that remains for those who want it. —Seth Barron