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Israel · 2016
1h 50m
Director Erez Laufer
Starring
Genre Documentary
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Released 20 years after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, this documentary explores Rabin's life as he told it, using archival footage of his speeches and interviews along with personal letters. Providing a unique window into the life of world leader, this film examines Rabin's rise to power and his dramatic time as leader.
The documentary briefly veers into tired territory when Rabin’s voice disappears and triumphal singers fill the screen, but Rabin’s consistent, thoughtful self-criticism and colorful storytelling animate what might otherwise be a pat, or at least familiar, history of Israel in the 20th century.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
A thorough knowledge of Israeli history and politics would be helpful for viewers, as Rabin in His Own Words is sometimes sketchy and scattershot in its narrative. But its subject emerges as a thoughtful and articulate chronicler, and the wealth of footage presented, including rare home movies, is consistently fascinating.
The New York Times by Ken Jaworowski
The obvious problem with its subject-says-all approach is the lack of outside voices and perspective. This is a broad summation of the man, not a critical look at his policies.
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
"In His Own Words" is a deeply involving look at the man's entire life, using archival footage, home movies, private letters but most of all filmed interviews Rabin gave, to let us hear him tell his own story just about from cradle to grave.