“For My Father” is not an easy movie. It isn’t easy to watch. It elicits thoughts that aren’t easy to take in. Palestinian/Israel issues aren’t easy. Period. This homeland to many peoples is fraught with angst, on all sides. It is easier to not think about this, to not think about these people struggling to lead their lives there. I am a Jew and it thrills me that there even exists an Israeli state, but I do not support all Israeli policy. Far from it.

There are many stories that I have seen or read or heard about. Sticking to movies, there was “Budras” shown at Amherst Cinema and “Occupied Minds” at the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival held at UMass and Smith. These are documentaries about the quest for peace, non-violent protest, hope.  “For My Father” is one of these stories, a fictional one, but powerful. But not a non-violent one. It is about the quest for redemption, for understanding, for reaching across the abyss. It is one of the human stories, and isn’t what this is all about? About humans and human lives? It is a life-or-death struggle but the emphasis should be on the “life” part of that. It is how people live their lives. It is about human dignity, and lack thereof, and the search for peace, for the human side of peace, where people aren’t just tolerating each other but thriving together.

The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival (www.pvjff.org) is offering quite a variety of movies over the next few weeks, from the silly to the deadly serious, as in “For My Father.” Opening the heart to stories, Jewish stories, Palestinian stories, human stories.

“For My Father,” in case you interested, is playing Thursday March 24, 7:30, at Amherst Cinema, and Saturday March 26, 8:15, at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.