No. 8: ‘5 Broken Cameras’ – Top 20 Movies of 2012

It's tough, I know, to commit to a first person essay about life in a cruel war zone. '5 Broken Cameras' is smart enough to have a gimmick – the destruction of the titular recording devices. As injustice, frustration and violence breaks out around a mild mannered villager he bears witness to how political decisions have real impact on the ground. This is an essential document not just for the Israeli-Palestinian troubles but political struggles anywhere.

Best part: If this were fiction, I'd cite the marital unrest or the murder of a comrade as dramatic high points. Can't really do that when it is real life.