Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres review- This simple, well written Netflix documentary makes no attempt to hide its hero worship

3/5

Story:

To say that Shimon Peres was an influential figure in the Israeli political system would be an understatement. The politician, who set foot on Israeli soil at 11, went on to become one a key figure in shaping the nation’s defense forces. The late politician, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 93, had had a political career spanning almost 70 years. Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres traces the life and career of Peres and the achievements that made him such an unforgettable part of Israel’s political history.

Review:

It is incredibly rare to find a documentary with a neutral narrative; one that lays the facts before the viewers as is, without showmanship and without tilting the narrative in any way. Although Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres makes a commendable effort to do the former, it fails to paint a realistic picture of the late Israeli politician by marring the narrative with its barely disguised attempts at putting Peres on a pedestal.

Even viewers without a good understanding of geopolitics can easily follow the documentary. Well written and thoroughly researched, the documentary is simple in its narration, giving one an exhaustive look into Peres’ life. We are taken through his humble beginnings, painting an interesting picture of how a young man who wanted to spend his life as a farmer became one of the most influential political figures in Israel. We see Peres, someone with virtually no political connections or experience, become a prominent figure in developing the Israeli Defense. Becoming a protege to David Ben-Gurion, viewers get to witness Peres’ steady rise in the Israeli polity and his subsequent political achievements. The way Peres is shown at odds with former Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin, only to win them over with his tenacity and intellect, form some of the most intriguing parts of the documentary film. His prominent role in the Oslo Accords peace talks, and the way he strived to establish better relationships with Israel and its neighbours also formed an important part of his legacy.

As with many documentaries, this one too is guilty of tilting facts, putting Peres on a pedestal and refusing to criticise the late politician on any front. The politician was on several occasions, called a man of contradictions. But the documentary chooses to gloss over his faults and instead showcase his story as that of an inspiring underdog climbing the ranks to a political stalwart. The inclusion of only positive commentary by Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama, Barbara Sterisand and George Clooney, the latter serving as narrator, also seems to be nothing short of a tactic to add to Peres’ hero worship.

Verdict:

Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres manages to paint an intriguing portrait of the influential Israeli politician, in a way that is simple and easy to understand even for people without a good grasp of geopolitics. But the documentary is in no way neutral in its depiction of Peres, depicting him as nothing short of a faultless zionist hero.