“Obaida” (2019) by Matthew Cassel

What does it feel like to be led away from your home by a soldier, while blindfolded? What happens when a military occupation looms over an entire childhood?

The film gives us a peek into Obaida’s life, his experiences of getting arrested by the Israeli military and how that changed the course of his life. According to UNICEF, each year about ‘700 Palestinian children aged 12 to 17, the great majority of them boys, are arrested, interrogated and detained by the Israeli army, police and security agents’.

There are several reasons to watch this film now – to put our own problems, which may seem insurmountable, into perspective; to step into this young teenager’s shoes and catch a glimpse of what it’s like to grow up in a conflict zone; and to mark the loss of a young life.
Obaida, the Palestinian teenage boy featured in this film, was shot dead this past week by Israeli forces. He was only 17 years old.

Matthew Cassel, the director of ‘Obaida’, wrote on May 18, 2021 –
“May he now rest in the peace that he was denied throughout his life.”