Breaking Bows and Arrows: A Search for Reconciliation and Forgiveness 2001
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Ellenor Cox
Directed by Liz Thompson
VHS, color, 52 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Anthropology, History, Sociology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Christine Rigda, Cataloging Department, Bierce Library, The University of Akron, Akron, OhioThis is a documentary dealing with the civil war that took place in New Guinea against an Australian copper mine, and one small village’s attempt to deal with the aftermath. The civil war ended in 1998, but the people were still divided. An attempt at reconciliation through a formal ceremony was held to help put an end to the animosity towards the men who fought against their own people. It is a moving film and is a lesson to all people on how to forgive and move on.
We see interviews with a woman who lost her brother and the pain it caused her mother. We then see the other side and the remorse felt by Francis, an ex-fighter. He explains that the reconciliation ceremony is a way for everyone to deal with what happened by acknowledging it. We follow Francis and several other ex-fighters into the forest where they retrieve the bones of some of the men they killed. They then bring the bones back to the village, so they can be buried. The video is expertly filmed and very unobtrusive as we see women and children grieving over the bones of their dead and we see the remorse and guilt felt by the ex-fighters.
Overall, the editing is excellent, the narration is easy to follow, and the English subtitles used for the interviews are well done and easy to read. This film is suitable for anyone interested in other cultures and is highly recommended.