Since its North American debut at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, The Gatekeepers has inspired passionate debate. Its insider view of Israeli national security and the Palestinian question will no doubt make it one of the most talked-about documentaries of the year.

Director Dror Moreh filters the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1967’s Six-Day War through the keen perspectives of all six living former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. In remarkably candid one-on-one interviews, the men reflect on lessons learned and reveal the lasting impact of their actions on the peace process—for better or for worse.

With unprecedented access to these key figures—the only Israeli intelligence officials whose identities are publicly known—Moreh poses challenging questions that shed light on the inner workings of the government and its counterterrorism activities. Their pragmatic answers, born of hard-fought battles against extremists on both sides, offer a provocative path forward for Israel if it ever hopes to find lasting peace. - B. T.