Diameter Of The Bomb review

Terrorism wrecks lives. Duh! This doc focusing on a 2002 suicide attack on an Israeli bus where 20 people died is Middle-East-based, but the theme is universal. Focusing on four central characters (an Ethiopian schoolgirl, a gravestone carver's wife, the only son of an elderly Arab-Israeli worker, a beautiful dancer) whose stories are told through surviving friends and family, their pain and loss is clear. Yet over-emotive editing and a tabloid mindset grate (the cute girl is the focus - do the ugly die less tragically?).

Part-funded by the BBC and told without voiceover, it preaches impartiality, yet barely interviews Palestinians. Lacking genuine political insight, this is partisan human-interest posing as sociological examination. No easy answers, sure. A few questions would have been nice, though.