Educational Media Reviews Online

Two Kids A Day documents the experience of four children with the West Bank criminal justice system. These four children, all between the ages of 13-15 at the time of their arrest, each spent between 1-4 years in prison for throwing stones. The film uses interviews with the four children as well as with the former chief prosecutor for Judea and Samaria, a former soldier, former members of the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency, and a human rights advocate to provide background and commentary, though most of the film consists of recordings of the children's’ interrogations and security camera footage of minors being arrested by armed forces.

The lack of narration lets the testimonies and footage speak for themselves in a way that proves powerful, though sometimes results in a lack of context and a few uncontested and/or unproven claims on both sides of the narrative. For example, one of the children is explicitly charged with throwing stones and explosives, though it is unclear if explosives were actually involved or if the two are always grouped together as a single charge. The result is a film that exposes the issue without proselytizing, but also only scratches the surface.

This film serves as a solid introduction to the treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military courts and would fit well into any class or collection dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, human rights, and criminal justice.

Awards:
Jerusalem Int. Film Festival, Best Research Award

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