notes to eternity

some notes on notes to eternity

“…Watching the film I was reminded that the opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference, an insight that goes to the heart of our shared experience and implicitly calls us to reflection. notes to eternity expresses this with seemingly effortless and poignant understatement, and as such it is the equal of the very best cinema in that it offers itself as a mirror.

It’s a film that creeps up on you, patiently pulling its complex strands together into a compelling testament to the power of personal conviction. It is an impressive and affecting film, an inspired and inspiring example of world-class filmcraft that, in its preference for a reflexive, impressionistic, contemporary aesthetic, speaks to a potentially unique (and exciting) way forward for New Zealand filmmaking…”

- Steve Garden, The Lumière Reader

“…such a fine film, which, with its multiple layers and creative use of various genres, is unlike any other documentary I have seen on the subject… It is rare to see a film on Israel and Palestine that distinguishes clearly between perpetrator and victim without either demonising the one or idealising the other.”

- Brian Klug, Emeritus Fellow of the Philosophy Faculty, University of Oxford, UK; Associate Editor of Patterns of Prejudice journal

“… notes to eternity inspires reaction precisely not through polemics - the common mode of political debate, especially pertaining to all things Israel-Palestine. Instead its slow, accumulating, often poetic but always gripping sense of human reason, dedication and vulnerability in relation to Palestinian experience opens up a space for thought and feeling beyond the usual polarisation…”

- Dr Michele Aaron, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of Warwick, UK; founder Screening Rights Film Festival