User reviews

The first scene involves some Palestinian boys engaged in an updated version of "chicken" in the desert outside of Jerusalem. Instead of some teenagers in the 1950's driving their cars off some embankment as in "Rebel without a Cause", these boys are using semi-automatic weapons and a rather worn "bullet-proof" vest. The main character of the film, Sanfur (played by Shadi Mar'i in completely convincing performance), is a Palestinian teenager who dons the vest and instructs his fellow peers to shoot him, if they have the guts. This is a game but a very brutal one. When some of the adults appear on the scene, the kids scatter. But I think the point is the adults are playing at the same brutal game, daring each other to fire at one another.

The film involves three groups: two militia groups of Palestinians who are somewhat at odds with each other, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and their common enemy, the Israels. Sanfur is literally caught between all three who seem to be playing a very deadly game of tug-of-war. His family is sympathetic to the Palestinian Authority but he socializes with people in Hamas, the more radical of the two. At the same time, Sanfur is good friends with Razi (Tsahi Halevi in an equally compelling performance), who is in reality an Israeli agent. His agency's duty is to infiltrate the Palestinian regions near Jerusalem and Bethlehem and root out members of the Palestinian militia groups. While Ravi appears to be Sanfur's friend at one level, the Israeli is using the boy to obtain information about Hamas.

The conflict begins with a decision to hunt down and assassinate a Hamas leader name of Ibrahim, whom the Israelis have been chasing for a year but is also, unfortunately, Sanfur's brother. Sanfur finds himself caught between the radical Hamas leaders, his family which appear to be on the moderate side of the conflict, and Ravi the Israeli, who has become like a father-figure for the boy. Now the boy is torn between all these loyalties. The crucial moment of the film occurs when Sanfur forces Ravi to take a kind of test of friendship. Will he succeed or fail? Will the boy side with the Palestinian authority, Hamas or with the Israeli agent?

An incredibly compelling film, but a very dark one about the current hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians. The acting is outstanding, and I have read that some of the actors had never performed in a film before. The viewer feels as if he or she is with these people, almost spying on their conversations and actions. There is never a dull moment, but this is not that kind of film where the good guys and the bad guys are neatly spelled out for us.

In a landscape so fractured as Palestine, fault-lines run wide and deep. Trust is both essential and lacking. This insightful and revealing film explores the ties that alike bring people together and thrust them apart. Bonds and fissures extend into religion, politics, family, history, class, workplace, individual desire and beyond. The film director worked for Israeli army intelligence and wrote the script with a Muslim journalist. Together they infuse the film with realism and awareness. The main characters are an Israeli secret service agent and a young Palestinian informant. The agent seeks to protect his informant even as he manipulates him. Not an easy task in any environment. The actors are a little awkward, but capable and believable. The film is brilliant in that it helped me understand what is beneath all the headlines in the Middle East. Beyond all the facts, names and figures, here are the emotions and influences that cut to the bone. Truth is stranger than fiction.

In a fascinating coincidence this excellent film,and Hany Abu-Assad's even better 'Omar' appeared at nearly the same time. Both tell similar stories, one from the Israeli perspective and one from the Palestinian. Both tell of a young man recruited (or forced) into being an informer for the Israelis. We see these young men torn in multiple directions, risking their lives if they are uncovered, trying to play one side against the other, finding themselves drawn ever deeper in a morass they are powerless to stop.

In Bethlehem the 'hero' is only a teenager, and an immature one at that. His older brother is an accomplished terrorist/freedom fighter, leaving his little brother Sanfur without much of an identity of his own, he seems overlooked by his family and unimportant to his community. Ironically in many ways Sanfur's closest relationship is to his middle-aged Israeli 'handler', who also clearly has fatherly feelings towards the youth, further complicating the relationship.

The acting is generally excellent, and there's a lot of thriller like tension to go along with the human drama. I actually saw this and 'Omar' within days of each other, and I would recommend the same approach to others. Seeing the two sides of the same coin gives a feeling of greater insight into the conundrum that is the middle-east. Also, both directors are careful not to paint black and white portraits of either side, both treat all involved as human, so the differences in perspective are both fascinating and subtle.

There are some films that can get saved by a clever or dramatic ending, but rarely is there an excellent film that gets ruined by a terrible ending. Not that the ending is "emotionally" or "dramatically" terrible, and I won't go any further in the event you see this film to hint about what happens. But it seemed to me that the film simply ends with no resolution. Of course, that's what the authors are trying to say - the situation seems to have no solution, so why should the film have a satisfactory or even an unsatisfactory ending. I understand that. But this film simply ends. In mid thought. Otherwise it's a marvelous film, with terrific acting, photography and a well crafted script. The film does require that you have some understanding of the issue, and the more you are familiar with present days problems in Israel the more you will "enjoy" the film.

It is not a political movie.

No positive, no negative of Arab/Jews conflict.

No left, no right its the Reality.

they Just made ​​an excellent film, good acting. Beautiful plot.

I loved the acting of Tsahi Halevi-"razi"- the agent, he was very good.

The action Scene are very good.

Excellent dialog. Who loved The Departed will love this movie.

the Viewer Continue to think about the movie after leaving the Cinema.

I enjoyed very much from the film.

Highly recommended.

There are no political discussions in BETHLEHEM, no messages about who has rights to the land or which nation has a case of self-defense against whom or how coexistence can be achieved. What's given is a situation in which the Arab streets are violently factionalized at least three ways, with little to distinguish among the factions-- except that Hamas does have the banner of religion, and the recognized political establishment does have the material comforts and connections. The main Israeli character is a runner of spies who is repeatedly warned that he's taking a dangerous gamble; the tension on his side is whether his methods will work for him or not. The tension for the main Arab character, a young spy working for Israel, is whether he can keep his head above water when it's one Arab faction against another and all of them against collaborators like him. The situation is laid out well and comprehensibly, and the tension mounts believably all the way through.

I was lucky enough to attend the TIFF premiere of "Bethlehem" and I was blown away. In the past 10 or so years, the Israeli film world has boomed and seen rise to several internationally acclaimed films. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if "Bethlehem" joined the ranks of "Waltz with Bashir", "Ajami", and "Footnote" on that list of globally celebrated modern Israeli movies. Each aspect of this film was crafted with such poise and precision, it carried itself with the majesty that only a truly talented filmmaker could give it. Yuval Adler's incomparable debut at the helm of a motion picture is so incredible that I have to personally thank him for the pleasure of watching his film. It was a privilege to have lived within it's walls. Bethlehem is the story of the relationship between an Israeli secret service officer and his informant, the fiery younger brother of the head of a Palestinian militia. As their relationship wanes and waxes to the tunes of perfectly paced military action sequences and beautifully scripted emotive developments, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary movie. It's as much of a political commentary as it is a story. Yuval Adler and Ali Waked's incredible script leads the audience through the winding story of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. They lead us through the maze of violence, through the maze of political and social uproar and arrive at an ultimate conclusion. No one will win if things continue this way. Both sides must step back and look at their actions and see what they are causing. Both sides must put their arms down for a moment. If things continue as violently as they are, no one will win. It's a film that doesn't take sides. The Israelis are seen at times through the eyes of a Palestinian, a bully-like entity smashing walls with trucks, forcing their grip on the Palestinians. The Palestinians are seen at times through the eyes of an Israeli, as violent and explosive terrifying militants who aren't afraid to kill to claim the entire land for themselves. At the end of the film, though, everyone is naked. Everyone looks so human it's saddening. It's enough of an emotional punch to leave a lump in the audiences throat. It's enough to think, what is this fighting for? "Bethlehem" doesn't denounce supporting a side, but it does stress to learn more about each side before the support is given to them. It should be targeted towards high-school age and older students. People that are just beginning to pull back the veil on the social and political landscape. "Bethlehem"'s message and delivery is perfect. Incredible performances by all facets of the film. It will be a terrible crime if this film is not up for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. One of the best foreign films I have ever seen. It was a pleasure to experience and I will cherish this movie for a long time to come.

This was by far the best film I saw at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Incredibly well written, brilliant, extremely fair and even-handed at a very divisive issue, beautifully filmed and with a shocking ending that literally left the audience gaping and stunned. Everything ties together perfectly and makes you rethink through the entire film all over again. Fantastic acting, simply a phenomenal film.

Not for the faint of heart, and it is not a happy-go-lucky film, but certainly well thought out and very fair. I can't say enough about it, go see the film for yourself! Well done.

Those who think it's not a political film probably think that Alice in Wonderland is just a fairy tale. (almost) Every film is a political film or at least makes a cultural message explicitly or not, and this is no less. Wild Arabs against an army of brave soldiers and good men. Limping script, for those who are not involved in situations, and the characters are never too thorough, not even the two protagonists of this story. Perhaps only the final is saved, in which the pettiness of the Israeli occupation forces is leaked, but also a last and extreme act of the wild Arab ... There are much better films than this. Not recommended.

* seen in march 2019

This amazingly informative Israeli film is called BETHLEHEM because most of the action takes place there, in the present day. Bethlehem is an entirely Arab town. The film is very dramatically powerful and well-made, even though it is only the first feature film directed by Yuval Adler (whoever he is, as no biographical information or date of birth is recorded for him on IMDb). I read something about this film in a newspaper and ordered the DVD, the cover of which is entirely in Hebrew. It is difficult to access the English subtitles because you have to read Hebrew to know where to click. However, I discovered on my second try that you click on the second Hebrew word at the bottom to get them. The DVD was certainly not manufactured with an English-speaking audience even remotely in mind. I noticed that the end credits were in both Hebrew and Arabic. I gather from indications on the box that this film has won awards at several film festivals including Venice and Telluride. It well deserves them. It is an astonishing inside glimpse of the conflicts going on in Palestine today. The story is essentially an emotional one, about the relationship between an Israeli man who is a security agent named Razi (played excellently by Tsahi Halevi, who has apparently never acted in a film before), and a young Arab Israeli boy called Sanfur played by Shadi Mar'i, who does a brilliant job in an extremely difficult and complex part. Razi has recruited Sanfur as an informant because his older brother is a ruthless terrorist named Ibrahim, who sets off bombs and kills civilians in terror attacks inside Israel. Razi and Sanfur have a strong emotional bond, and Razi saves Sanfur's life by hinting that he should go to see his aunt in Hebron suddenly, as he knows that a security operation is about to take place in which Sanfur may be killed. Sanfur follows his advice and is spared. Sanfur is alienated from his stiff and formal father and accepts Razi as a father figure, and Razi is becoming dangerously attached to Sanfur, thus putting his own life in peril. The main action of the film concerns the struggles between the two conflicting Palestinian factions of the more extreme Hamas, and the less extreme supporters of 'the Palestinian Authority'. Ibrahim is supposed to be a leading militia commander of the latter, but he has secretly been recruited by Hamas and is taking their money without telling his comrades, with Sanfur as the intermediary who collects the money from a vegetable seller in the local market and passes it to his brother. From the beginning, we see that Sanfur is a very emotionally volatile and unstable young man, who erupts into rages very easily. The more troubled Sanfur is, the more Razi is tempted to try to help him, as he sees that he has the potential to be a decent person if he gets the right kind of emotional help and support. But meanwhile, Sanfur is becoming increasingly compromised and trapped from two sides. On one side, he is not telling friends, family and comrades that his brother has sold out to Hamas, and on the other side, his friendship with Razi may be revealed because Razi has obtained hospital treatment for him for a gunshot wound, and this may be discovered. Sanfur's father is a passive fanatic who says that only Ibrahim enables him to hold his head up with pride, because he is bombing and killing the hated oppressors, the Jews. Sanfur does not want to bomb or kill anybody, but he is surrounded by killers and rival militias on all sides. The film is a tragic portrayal of how impossible it is for many of the Palestinian Arabs to escape from the vicious cycles of hatred and murder which absorb and monopolize their lives. When they are not trying to kill the Israelis, the rival militias are trying to kill each other, which they do much more often. There is one terrible scene where the vicious and hardened militia leader Badawi, played excellently by Hitham Omari (of whom nothing is recorded on IMDb), is friendly and joking with another Arab militia fighter as they run up a staircase teasing one another, and then when they reach the top, he casually pushes him over the banister to his death, without so much as a moment's hesitation or any qualm. That is how brutalised the lives of these people have become. They simply have to go on killing, killing, killing, without any respite, and often they are killing friends and even their own family members. It is also interesting to see how the Arab 'townies' continually ridicule Badawi for being of Bedouin descent. They insult him by saying his father came in from his desert tent to the town and had not even learned how to wear shoes. I had not realized the Bedouin were held in such low esteem. The many layers of Palestinian Arab society are thus shown in gruesome conflict and strife with one another, and they cannot agree on anything, not even the levels of violence to be inflicted upon the Jews. In view of the fact that the rival factions in Palestine have recently 'made peace' with one another and formed a joint government, one really wonders how on earth such a thing can ever work. Since they seem to hate each other more than they hate the Jews, what future is there for Palestine? It seems to me that murder, treachery, betrayal, and terror can never disappear from this unhappy part of the world. This film helps us see the inside perspectives and personal tragedies and conflicts which are never otherwise clear, no matter how many newspaper articles you read. I am not permitted by IMDb reviewing rules to discuss the ending of the film, so I cannot comment on how the story turns out.

Bethlehem (2013/I) is an Israeli film co-written and directed by Yuval Adler. It tells the story of a Palestinian adolescent, Sanfur (played by Shadi Mar'i) and his relationship with Razi, an Israeli intelligence officer (played by Tsahi Halevi).

Like the true situation in the region, this is a game without winners. Razi honestly cares about Sanfur, but this care should always be secondary to his real goal--finding the leaders of Hamas. Sanfur's brother is an important Hamas leader, so the plan is to have Sanfur lead the Israelis to the brother, who is the person they want to capture or kill.

As would be expected, nothing goes as planned. One horrible situation replaces another horrible situation. In fact, this is one of the few films I've seen where there is no quiet, safe moment. If I am remembering correctly, no one ever smiles or relaxes. (Razi's wife has the thankless role of telling him, "Be careful, Razi." We never get to see any real affection between them.)

I'm not an expert in the situation in the area, so I can't comment about the movie's authenticity. To my non-expert eye, the movie looked very realistic. Grim and realistic.

It's worth seeing this film because it is extremely well constructed and well acted. However, just watch it with the understanding that you won't leave the theater--or eject the DVD--in a happy frame of mind.

The movie will work well on DVD, but we were fortunate enough to see it on the large screen at the fine Dryden Theatre as part of the outstanding Rochester Jewish Film Festival.

BETHLEHEM Viewed at the Budapest Israeli Film Week, Dec. 5, 2016 An Israeli Agent and His teenage Palestinian Informant Bethlehem (hebrew: ‫בית לחם‬‎‎) is a 2013 Israeli drama directed by first time helmer Yuval Adler and takes place during the Al-Aqsa second Intifada around 2004 and tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer who speaks Arabic and is trying to avert a major suicide bombing attack, and his teenage Palestinian informant-protegé, Sanfur, who shuttles back and forth between all belligerent sides. Main cast, all first time screen actors and all perfect in their roles.

Tsahi Halkevi as the Israeli agent ~ (star charisma) Shadi Mar'i as Sangur the young Palestinian informant Hitham Omari as Radaei, The Palestinian militants leader Running time 99 minutes. The Belgian production company "Entre Chien et Loup" is noted for making hard hitting off mainstream films and the name which means "Neither Dog nor Wolf" is a perfect metaphor for this movie which is neither Pro-Israeli, nor Pro-Palestinian, but, if anything, against the madness on both sides. Both central actors, the protective agent and the conflicted boy, are extremely sympathetic so that you can't help rooting for both of them to come out on top. Unfortunately the rules of the deadly Intafada game are not going to let that happen. The city scapes of Jerusalem and to a lesser extent Bethlehem are more than mere settings -- something like living organic geography. All in all this is a non-stop thriller that brings the Intifada -- the Palestinian uprising against the far more heavily armed Israeli establishment -- right into your living room or your lap depending where you are watching it. Tanks and pellet guns against rock throwing mobs - grenades when necessary -- kalishnikovs -- in your face. Industrial strength film making with totally realistic acting all around -- so realistic it's chilling. Actually more Arabic is heard than Hebrew, and a nifty touch is that the Israeli Intelligence agent, Razi, speaks perfect Arabic when he has to, which is much of his screen time. Since the Palestinians are on screen the majority of the time we see the Intifada more from their point of view, while not necessarily approving or disapproving -- and a mixed point of view it is because of the fierce Internal rivalry between the Hamas and Palestinian authority factions. This internal feud is starkly brought into focus when the two factions nearly come to a shootout over the question of how to dispose of the body of a fighter (martyr) killed in action against the Israelis. This is a film that tells it like it is whether you like it or not and introduces some excellent new actors in a very tightly directed and spellbinding drama apart from whatever politics may or may not be implicit. Both Tsahi Halevi as the handsome. brooding Israeli agent and Shadi Mar'l, the teenage Palestinian caught in the middle of a deadly three way tug of war, radiate star charisma each in his own way. Another surprising candidate for Top Ten of 2016.

The story of this sensitive movie is simultaneously symbolised by the fact that the auteurs of the film itself, Adler (Israeli Jew) and Waked (Palestinian), are brave symbols of two men from opposite sides of the spectrum wishing to offer a balanced view rather than the usual generic binary framing of Israel = bad; Palestine = good.

There are, as in life, no 'goodies' or 'baddies' in this film, just people on both sides desperate for a solution and trying to make the best out of their lives that they can. This is demonstrated in the depiction of the Israeli Intelligence staff being as bigoted and untrustworthy as the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and the Al-Aqsa terrorists.

I applaud Adler and Waked for having created not just a memorable and poignant movie, but a film that represents all of the differing and insurmountable issues in Israel today.

My one regret is that it is ONLY Israeli movies that depict Israel and the Jewish protagonists in their films as being human and neither innocent nor evil (see, for example, Waltz with Bashir; Lebanon; Room 514; The Hill.) Every Palestinian / Arabic film that I have viewed, without exception, has not been able to offer this balance. The Jews are always depicted in Arabic movies as violent oppressors and the Palestinians always shown as innocent resistance fighters without blemish.

I hope that Adler and Waked will be given the opportunity to continue to collaborate and make movies that give truthful as opposed to cartoon insights into desperate situations facing Jews and Arabs in Israel. Films like this are powerful enough to transform the dialogue that we have to create understanding rather than judgement.

Plz confirm where I can find this movie in INDIA, recently I watched fauda which was an amazing content and specially the character like Walid (Shadi) impressed me a lot. I just want to see coz of Shadi.

Set in Bethlehem during the current Arab-Israeli conflict, Yuval Adler's film (cowritten with Ali Wakad) concentrates on the life of seventeen-year-old Sanfur (Shadi Mar'i) an Israeli Arab trying to survive in the midst of almost impossible conflict. Cultivated at an early age by Israeli Secret Service officer Razi (Tsahi Halevi) to be a spy for the Israeli cause, he reports on the activities of the Palestine Liberation Front and Hamas. At the same time he fulfills the same role for the PLF, led by thuggish man Badawi (Hitham Omari) who has known Sanfur since childhood. Sanfur twists and turns, telling the stories that both Razi and Badawi want to hear until the complications of his life become too difficult to manage, with tragic consequences.

BETHLEHEM looks at the ways in which Sanfur's life is dependent on family values as he is morally obliged to avenge the death of his older brother İbrahim (Tarik Kopty), while at the same time trying to conceal his association with Razi from his father Nasser (George Iskandar). Familial traditions are so strong that the younger siblings have little or no power of self-determination. Hence we feel for Sanfur as his face becomes more and more contorted with pain as he tries to maintain an urbane façade while fulfilling impossible tasks.

As far as the civil war is concerned, the film suggests that involvement is very much a badge of male power. By carrying guns and patrolling the streets in search of enemies, the young man (Palestinian and Israeli alike) feel that they are somehow committed to a cause, giving them the excuse to indulge in pointless violence. Sanfur becomes embroiled in that culture, even though he is manifestly unsuited for the task.

Set in a series of dingy rooms and dark passages in a ruined city, the film creates an underworld in which concepts of "good" and "evil," or "right" and "wrong," simply do not exist. No one, it seems, can grow up unaffected (or should it be corrupted) by the civil war, which seems never-ending, despite continued calls for a ceasefire.