It is rare to encounter a film confined (for the most part) to a single room that packs the wallop that this film form Israel delivers. Written and directed with great sophistication by Sharon Bar-Ziv and acted by a very small cast of splendid actors, this is a cinematic experience that shake's the viewer and makes an indelible impression of the many conflicts facing not only the Israelis of the story but of all peoples of global significance.
Anna (Asia Naifeld), whose origins are Russian, is in the Israeli army and is assigned the duty of investigating military/civilian incidents. Her current investigation involves interrogating Nimrod (Guy Kapulnik), an officer who is suspected of having information about a group of Israeli soldiers who brutally beat and unarmed Arab family. Nimrod is sarcastic about Anna's abilities, saying she doesn't understand warfare: his accusations are punctuated with frequent cellphone calls Anna accepts from her mother about household matters. Anna is in an affair with a fellow soldier Eraz (Ohad Hall) who is engaged to be married, but that doesn't stop their have very steamy sexual encounters in the interrogation room (there is one of the most erotic, complete sex scenes in film and all of this is by suggestion only as clothing is present). Eraz wants Anna to stop the interrogation of Nimrod because no killing was done. At the same time Eraz wants Anna to lie about their affair when his fiancé Michaeli (Hilly Israel) confronts him. Anna acquiesces to Eraz demands but pursues Nimrod until Nimrod agrees to bring in his commanding officer Davidi (Udi Persi) who apparently was the perpetrator of the beating incident. The results of Anna's interrogation provide her with the sense of justice that she has won for the victims of the beating, but that successful interrogation brings about a surprise ending to this film that is almost unbearably heartbreaking. While the underlying theme seems bound to Israeli versus Arabs, the issues explored are applicable worldwide - when is the abuse of power justified, what is the difference between covering for an act of adultery and covering for an act of military violence against innocent citizens?
This is an eye-opening view of the Israeli military and the very human problems that exist, but more importantly it is an under the microscope examination of human motivation. The cast is brilliant. Apparently the film was rehearsed for six months and then shot (in perfect cinematographic technique) in 5 days! In a word, it is brilliant!
Grady Harp
