Close to Home

I enjoy seeing the movie Close to Home on the IFC channel. I think it is also hard for males who have nice personalities to becoming assertive and sometimes assume aggressive roles and overcoming the natural hesitation and shyness especially when they are police officers and/or soldiers.

You can't blame nice guys for being that way when they were brought up to be gentlemen and not taught how to stick up for themselves against rude, aggressive bullies (males and females) and authoritarian figures. Furthermore, if they were to talk back to their officers and sergeants about things that they saw were morally wrong, they would be court-martial for being insubordinate and disrespectful to their superiors. And then the officers,sergeants, and police supervisors would complain about their people not showing initiative or taking charge of a situation. People can't do their jobs on their own if they are always constantly be told to shut up and not do anything unless instruction to do so.

On TV last night, we decided to give it a go. If you don't know by now it's the story of two Israeli female recruited soldiers whose task is to check Arrabs ID for national security. Since I too have been recruited by the French army to do my military service, I could well identify with some of the feelings expressed by them and other soldiers. The difference between their situation and mine, their's had danger, mine was more like a game. Yet the situation was , in some ways, so similar are they were people drawn to an unusual environment most likely without their consent to perform tasks they had not fully taken on board. Possibly what is going in Israel, for them was part of life, but not really their life. At least that what I got from the movie, this sense of reality. Their life was well above the national security, their life was the one most young people go through. their maturing, their dream their want. So, as I remember too, the army was something they had to go through and so be it but it did not stop the more important things in their life. Although the film shows quite a contrast of personality between these two main characters it shows too a similar humanity in both of them that will play a role. It is quite thought provoking. You wonder what was the extent of their power, or their feeling to intrude in others life, their sense of duty. But reality works at different level and when one bomb explodes it stresses that fact and shows the impact it has on those soldiers. It reminds me of someone I knew, a strong headed person who ended up being sent to Algeria in active service. their group was sent to dislodge rebels out of cave. The group "gun ho" had taken position but as it was their first mission had no idea of "reality" Whilst they were ordered to lye down one had still his lower leg folded up. Reality struck in the form of a bullet through his ankle. And they learned a new level of reality! This is how I saw this movie.

I lived in Israel in the eighties so I was interested to see if this film was realistic or a bit of soft propaganda. This opinion is based on what I used to see every day on the streets as, not being either Jewish or Israeli, I never had to do the military service myself. But I found the film very realistic and very enjoyable. Being pushed into assertive and sometimes aggressive roles and having to overcome the natural hesitation and shyness prominent in the majority of 18 - 20 year old girls is not a simple task. I thought the actors were totally at ease and natural in their roles. Perhaps they were just playing themselves and reliving their own experiences. I smiled at many of the things I remembered. The messy hair, the giggling, the smoking and eating in the streets. Sometimes you had the impression that they were schoolgirls in uniform and not soldiers. I think all this comes across in the film as does their reluctance at having to be there in the first place. It's a very good film.

There have been a few Movies about Israeli Women soldiers, But most films about the army have been about Male soldiers. I agree with the comment from Miami that it is so well done that you do not have to be Israeli or Female to enjoy it.

Also I liked it as it has heavy hints about the situation in Israel in recent years with Intifada 2. But the movie is Human and not Political. Filmed mainly in central Jerusalem and is realistic. You see what happens when a "Pigua" (Terror Explosion) happens. But you also see 18 year old Youngsters growing up the hard way. Directed by two Women Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hagar the movie is thru women's eyes.

A thoroughly enjoyable movie about two girls in the Magav (Israeli Border Police), assigned to patrol Jerusalem together but with personalities worlds apart. Mirit is somewhat shy and timid- the 'nice girl next door' type, while Smadar is somewhat of a rebellious wild child. The daily stress of their patrols, spiced up with some humor and a little female bonding, pulls them closer together than further apart, and an unexpected friendship develops. The cast's ample beauty certainly doesn't hurt, but their acting is not to be underestimated either. The audience connects with the characters, and that can't be said about many films these days... highly recommended.