大象传媒

The devastating effects of a suicide bombing are shown in graphic detail in feature-length documentary Diameter Of The Bomb. The UK/Canadian documentary recreates the hours leading up to a bomb blast onboard a Jerusalem bus in June 2002, and interviews relatives of five families who lost loved ones in the blast. At times this is undeniably moving, while at others it verges on the mawkish. What really unbalances the documentary, though, is its overly forensic approach to the bombing itself.

Indeed, there's a coldness to Diameter Of The Bomb that makes it difficult to watch. For starters, there's the shocking video footage from the blast itself (including one truly horrific shot showing the remains of the suicide bomber) that many people will find disturbing. What's disappointing here is that the documentary doesn't go beyond the scientific or the emotional - there's not a strong enough sense of trying to understand the political divide between Israel and Palestine.

"ULTIMATELY UNSUCCESSFUL"

Directors Steven Silver and Andrew Quigley have, however, gained remarkable access to a variety of subjects - terrorists; grieving families; relatives of the suicide bomber himself; Israeli army officers detailing how suicide bombers work. But what their documentary lacks is a strong editorial voice - a Nick Broomfield or Michael Moore-type placing themselves at the centre of the story, trying to make sense of this maelstrom of violence engulfing innocent people; challenging both terrorists and Israeli Defence Force officers with their violence-begets-violence policies. Laudable but ultimately unsuccessful, Diameter just doesn't aim wide enough.