I Signed the Petition (2018) Synopsis

Should Radiohead play their Tel Aviv concert that has become a watershed event among the community of their fans, or should they support and eventually help the boycott promoted by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) Movement? Plagued by anguish after having signed a petition asking Thom Yorke's band not to play in Israel, the signer decides to drop a call to a Palestinian friend living in London. Answering the tortured questions of his faraway friend at the other end of the phone, he ironically seems to shrug off most of the concerns, minimizing the other's anxieties. But as the conversation goes on, the political temperature rises, and the conversation becomes more focused. A debate ensues about what it means being Palestinian, how signing a petition may get you in the cross-hairs of different control systems and the effectiveness of today's political actions. A film based on a very simple idea but executed in an extremely precise way. A Kammerspiel without bodies or actors, made only with voices that try to come to terms with the contradictions and hypocrisies of post-modern politics.—Giona A. Nazzaro (Visions du Réel)

Should Radiohead play their Tel Aviv concert that has become a watershed event among the community of their fans, or should they support and eventually help the boycott promoted by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) Movement? Plagued by anguish after having signed a petition asking Thom Yorke's band not to play in Israel, the signer decides to drop a call to a Palestinian friend living in London. Answering the tortured questions of his faraway friend at the other end of the phone, he ironically seems to shrug off most of the concerns, minimizing the other's anxieties. But as the conversation goes on, the political temperature rises, and the conversation becomes more focused. A debate ensues about what it means being Palestinian, how signing a petition may get you in the cross-hairs of different control systems and the effectiveness of today's political actions. A film based on a very simple idea but executed in an extremely precise way. A Kammerspiel without bodies or actors, made only with voices that try to come to terms with the contradictions and hypocrisies of post-modern politics.—Giona A. Nazzaro (Visions du Réel)

Published Time: 2021-01-03 23:09:42