In the middle of one of the painful wars that the Jewish and Israeli people can ever experience, I found myself drawn into the end of one of the most famous Israeli wars ever. Never seen it, don't know how or why, but this was the fact. Such a human story with many icons and symbols, from each and every side of the war.
The main issue is that the soldiers, from both sides, wasn't really sure why they are fighting. Not the case of today, that's for sure. The unpopular opinion about humanizing the enemy's side was probably what led this film to be unpopular, of with unpopular point of view, but it is giving us the will to coexist and primal instinct for basic peace between two nations, that are led by ordinary people from both sides.
From one side; the Egyptian side - two soldiers: an actor and a fellah. From the other side and way later in the film's chronology - wanna be actor, Kibbutznik and another pretty simple guy. Also, none of the Israeli soldiers are shown as officers (except one, for five minutes). They are all tired and want to get the hell home.
The Egyptian guys are wondering around, thirsty and looking for they're way back to Suez Canal and just want to end the journey. They came across a UN vehicle, with alcohol in it and since this point until the end of the movie, they are getting into weird situations, but symbolic ones and even pretty emotional, for the viewers.
Salim Daw with tremendous acting performance, is holding this movie on both shoulders. Suhel Haddad is also good, but most of the weight is falling on Daw hairy shoulders and he manages to take this movie to its quick ending, without the need to create a lot of over dramatization - the characters are still getting their arcs and interesting to watch.
I don't have the tools to say if it is one of the greatest Israeli movies of all times nor the proper context to the era, but it is definitely a movie that is very hard to forget, plus its iconic march in the send - together, while singing a song that probably doesn't reflect some of the singers views.
