Look, let me be right up front with you folks. First, you’re about to read a review of a very serious documentary about a very serious issue – the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It’s grim, weighty stuff. Second, you’re reading a review written by a guy honestly and genuinely frustrated by the whole issue, largely because he is frustrated by insanity and because he sees little hope of peace in his lifetime. Cynical isn’t the word; I’ve thrown my hands in the air and said, “Hopeless!” Finally, I’m not going to be particularly friendly to either side, nor am I going to treat this with a grim air of seriousness. So truly, truly, if you think you might be offended by someone all but brushing off the entire Middle East conflict, I’d urge you now to just move on and avoid reading this. Because that’s what I’m about to do. I apologize in advance.

On with our review of The Shape Of The Future.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to sort all this shit out. You got people on one side of the fence or wall or whatever (turns out that despite all the pictures you see, the “wall” is a tiny percentage of the barrier between Israel and Palestine, or whatever people are calling that real estate these days) who explode themselves with the intention of killing as many civilians as possible.

'Cause, it like, cause “terror” and stuff. So that’s what you do, I suppose.

And on the other side you’ve got people who put themselves together a nifty police state that would do George Orwell proud, what with all the searching and shooting and oppressing it has going on.

Yeah, so why do I find myself unable to care for, sympathize with, or otherwise want to hear about either side in the ongoing (and destined to remain ongoing) Middle East struggle to Figure Out Who Deserves To Die More? Is it because both sides suck? Why yes, yes it is!

Now I’ll be the first to admit, there is a lot less suck – and I mean a LOT less – in people who are just trying to get to work but end up getting blown to fuck because some mindless idiot thought it was a good idea to strap a bomb onto their body and detonate it. I mean, come on. I’m supposed to take seriously the concerns of people who are willing to BLOW THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF KIDS, WOMEN, AND INNOCENTS to make their point?

I’m sorry, but fuck you people. If you strap a bomb to yourself, my one hope – and I don’t mean this in a joking way; not in a tongue-in-cheek way – is that the bomb only goes half off, and lodges shrapnel in your gut, and you suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and bleed, and suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and cry out in pain, and live on while you suffer, and suffer, and bleed, and suffer, and suffer, and suffer … and finally die.

And that’s what I think.

But I also think the people who think it’s their right to “settle” wherever there is an open plot of land – or whatever is turned into an open plot of land thanks to the help of tanks and machine guns and whatnot – suck as well, and deserve to, I dunno, maybe kinda sorta maybe be blown up?

(Okay, yes, that part was tongue-in-cheek and not serious. Nobody but NOBODY deserves that. Didn’t mean it. Wouldn’t mean it. Don’t mean it. If you checked your sense of humor at the door, you’re on the wrong website.)

So you can see my dilemma. I’m supposed to care about this stuff and, you know what? I don’t. I’m sorry, I know that’s wrong, I understand that’s wrong, but I just don’t care. And I’m watching a documentary that wants me to care. But I still don’t. I’m so sick of the whole “Middle East Issue” – and let’s face it, it’s been an issue for decades, no, CENTURIES now – that mustering up concern, care or sympathy is difficult. And let me be clear, not only do I sympathize with people who get blown up, but I know, and know personally, families who were on a bus that got the hell blown out of it by a crazy Palestinian dude. That kinda sucks.

Yet neither of these crazy sides is “right,” and as much as that is the message of this well-conceived, well-produced, well-constructed documentary, I find it amazingly difficult to care when I’m realistic enough to know that those damn nutty religious people are going to be killing one another when my great, great, great grandson is 80.

Let HIM watch a documentary about how things could end up okay. At least it’d be a realistic feature by then. Now? Not so much.

Truthfully, not only do I have little problem with this documentary, it’s actually quite well done. It handles the subject matter with great dignity and taste, never veering into the gruesome or exploitative. To its great credit, The Shape Of The Future also takes great pains to focus on all sides of the issue with equal weight and objectivity. If you sense a bias here, well – and this may be uncomfortable to hear – but that bias may be coming from you, because as a fella with no horse in this race, I found that stories of victims on both sides were told with care.

If there is any “spin” to The Shape Of The Future, it’s in the insistence that a positive future could unfold. That’s highly commendable. I may be a cynic about this stuff, but it’s hard to fault a production regarding this issue for looking forward to a better tomorrow rather than to the pain of yesterday. I may sit here in comfort at my computer grumbling and naysaying, yet I’m more than willing to admit that my attitude SUCKS. The attitude presented here, on the other hand, is needed in the world.

So maybe, just maybe, it’s really me that sucks, not all the crazy people killing one another.

Maybe.

Disc Presentation
There really isn’t much to say in this regard. This documentary, broadcast on TV … well, it looks like a documentary broadcast on TV. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just that wham bam visuals and thumping audio aren’t exactly part of the package here. The picture was a bit washed out and at times oversaturated, but it was filmed in the freakin’ sands of the Middle East. That’s expected and forgivable. More important for a feature of this type is the audio. The narration, dialogue and footage were always clear and always understandable, even when presented with a translator speaking over other footage. Solid quality here.

Disc Extras
A frilling sappy music video, “In My Heart,” that features no bitches, no hoes, and no thugs gettin’ jiggy wit it. What kind of a music video is that?

There are also “resource links,” which is to say the kind of informational extra people who are interested in this subject matter will surely enjoy, and to which a person who is not – namely, me – will surely cause much personal pain and distress.

The Bottom Line
I’m a bad person, I know. I admit it. I’m sorry that I have absolutely no, no, no interest in delving further into this issue. But I don’t. I just …. sigh …. I just don’t care. And I know that’s not the reaction I’m supposed to have.

But my own misplaced priorities should not be a reflection on this documentary. It’s a fine, objective, hopeful and enlightening piece of work.

That I just don’t care about.