Persona Non Grata (2003)
Three years after the staggering Sunday Hell, Oliver Stone discreetly returns to the forefront with his second documentary in less than a year. First, there was the excellent Comandante, dedicated to Fidel Castro; now there is Persona Non Grata, this time about Yasser Arafat. Once again, Stone poses as an informed observer of the state of the world. The director of JFK travels to occupied Palestine to try to untangle the threads of an explosive situation. As the title indicates, Arafat is missing. The expected filmed biography is in fact a fascinating portrait of the Palestinian leader. From the charismatic leader of Palestinian resistance, we will only see a very brief encounter with Western artists. It is therefore via the opposing party present that the contours of the crisis and the central role of Arafat in the middle of the powder keg emerge. First of all there are the Israeli leaders, Peres, Netanyahu and Barak. Through the fragmented interviews that Stone shows us, three personalities emerge: the wise Shimon, the butcher Benyamin and the clumsy Ehud. Three visions of the crisis, three visions of the world. Then there are the Hamas resistance fighters and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. And in the middle of all these little people, stands Oliver Stone, now mustachioed, as curious as ever, with unfortunately an Americanocentrism, which prevents him from really understanding the occupation and the hell experienced by the Palestinians for more than 70 years.
All Releases
Domestic
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International
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Worldwide
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| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Oliver Stone | Director |
| Fernando Sulichin | Producer |
| Claude Chalhoub | Composer |
| Rodrigo Prieto | Cinematographer |
| Serguei Saldívar Tanaka | Cinematographer |
| Langdon Page | Editor |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Yasser Arafat | |
| Ehud Barak | |
| Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Shimon Peres |
