Eyes of a Thief

Palestine’s Oscar nomination for 2015 is based on the story of the sniper who killed ten Israeli soldiers in Silwad in 2002. We follow Tareq, returning to Nablus after ten years in prison. He goes under the guise of being a water engineer, but is really in search of his wife and daughter. Throughout the film what really happened ten years ago when Tareq escaped becomes unravelled. Meanwhile, several suspect that Tareq might possibly be the sniper from ten years back. Eyes of a Thief has been criticized in Israel for glorifying a sniper, while Palestinian critics believe the film is too little glorified. Instead of being propagandistic and taking a clear side, the film is one sober but engaging tale of resistance and occupation.