Since the Partition of Palestine in 1947 in order to create a Jewish State, tensions have been high within the region. Whilst most film-makers focus on the conflict or the plight of the Palestinians, the impact on ordinary Israelis rarely gets any coverage outside of Israel. When children turn 18 they are conscripted into the army. Even at times like these when it’s relatively peaceful, up to 100 members of the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) can die in a single year. Samuel Maoz’s new film, Foxtrot, tackles this thorny issue.
When a wealthy secular Israeli couple, Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) and Dafna Feldmann (Sarah Adler), learn that their son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) has been killed during his national service, they almost drown in their grief. Whilst she is beside herself with despair, because he can’t get answers to his questions, he refuses to believe that his son is dead. When it turns out to be a mistake has been made, he won’t rest until his son is sent home.
Foxtrot is a beautifully shot and ambitiously crafted film about the absurdities of life in Israel. Every shot feels like it has been meticulously planned. Whilst it’s by no means flashy, Moaz works in sumptuous hues. Askkenazi is superb. A man driven to the edge of sanity by grief and anger. Whilst the madness of the Middle-East situation is played up with gallows humour. Foxtrot is a thoughtful, insightful and muscular drama.
Foxtrot is released in cinemas on 1 March.
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