BY GLENN WHIPP >Film Critic

How do you evict people from land they believe God gave them? That question is at the heart of the intimate documentary "Unsettled," which provides a personal look at the forced evacuation of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip in August 2005.

Director Adam Hootnick narrowly focuses his film on the inter-Israeli conflict, largely ignoring the Palestinian point-of-view. It's a deeply emotional portrait of a divided nation, between Israelis weary of ongoing violence and outraged settlers believing their country has betrayed them.

Hootnick, a former producer for MTV News, focuses on six young Israelis, most of whom are 20 or 21, attractive, camera-friendly presences. The confessional nature of their interviews gives "Unsettled" something of a "Real World" feel (Hasidic rapper Matisyahu pops up on the soundtrack a few times), though it would be a mistake to call the film glib by any means.

Hootnick shot the movie in the weeks leading up to the withdrawal. He hangs with two lifeguards on Gaza's "Palm Beach" who "surf in the morning and eat bombs at night." He follows Neta, a documentary filmmaker making movies to convince Israelis that the withdrawal plan is a "crime against God."

Ye'ela disagrees, joining a cross-country bus tour to drum up support for the plan. She lost a sister in a Tel Aviv terrorist bombing and doesn't want other families to grieve for dead soldiers.

The military viewpoint is represented by Yuval and Tamar, saddled with the assignment of forcibly removing angry, weeping settlers from their homes. "Are you a real Jew or a robot Jew?" a child asks them during the withdrawal. Another wails: "If you don't cry, you're not a Jew!"

Hootnick has a strong eye for personal detail, and his movie cuts to the emotional core. It's a shame it's only now being released and that its release is so limited. It's a bracing look at an attempt to find peace and resolve the meaning of home.

UNSETTLED

Unrated: mature subject matter, but OK for general audiences

Director: Adam Hootnick.

Running time: 1 hr. 20 min.

Playing: Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

In a nutshell: Documentary is a bracing portrait of a country divided.