The Little Traitor

What a beautiful, simply told, elegant film. A film that should be seen NOW. With all the strife in the Middle East and hatred filling the news and media, this film reaffirms our faith in love, understanding and unity in a complicated world. I do not cry in movies often.....this wonderful film got to my heart AND mind. This is what movies have been missing for so long.....a simply story told directly and honestly. There is no pulling on emotional heart strings.....no special effects.....no plot shocks at the end. Just an honest story expertly laid out by a director who trusts the story being told and her wonderful cast who executes the tale with honest emotion. This film is one to be cherished.

I stumbled across this film and watched it purely on the strength of actor Alfred Molina who plays a British soldier occupying Palestine just before Israel is recognized as a state. Molino's character is befriended by an 11 year old Jewish boy. I enjoyed the friendship and the way the story unfolds. A lovely script, beautifully acted and kid actors that are actually quite good especially the lead boy whose story this film centers around.

The film is especially poignant now with so much misunderstanding and ignorance in the world.

This movie is a little gem. Definitely not a historic film, this semi-autobiography of author Amos Oz is an exploration of human interactions during the time of the British occupation in Mandatory Palestine. I would have given the film another star, but was slightly rattled when I missed a musical "fill" when it was necessary, and looked for more "goofs" when what appeared to be a plastic bag drifted across a shot early on in the movie, set in the 1940s. In addition, I awaited (and received) the obligatory Oz political stance on the situation in Israel. That is something I believe the film could have done without, since it is an otherwise charming piece. After the showing, the producer gave a little background into the making of the movie (incredibly small budget, all-Israeli crew, Molina phoning and asking for a role in the film). That was an extra treat. I will definitely buy the DVD when it comes out, and will recommend it to my kids. It's a story of emotions overcoming the clash of stereotypical enemies.

--- I am not going to write much here because I think you have to watch this movie rather than read about it. It was made in an excellent manner and had first rate actors with high kudos going to Ido Port as Proffy and Alfred Molina as Dunlop.

--- Very essentially put this is a story about an 11 year old boy who carries on a friendship with a British "occupation" soldier in Israel just before it became Israel. The boy learns the hard way that sometimes your enemy can treat you better than your supposed friends and that although innocent friendship can and should be something one can treasure for life, it can also be called treason by the ignorant. I won't tell more for fear of telling to much.

--- The story is told in a very sweet way and is a well made coming of age movie. I don't think many people would be disappointed with the time investment to watch this one.

So many historical movies are just overbearing and a slog to get through. The Little Traitor really gives you just enough historical background for the events to serve as a backdrop for the primary story - an unlikely friendship between an Israeli boy growing up in Palestine and an English soldier trying to keep the peace.

Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Chocolate, Prince of Persia) stars as Sergeant Dunlop, a kindhearted man who doesn't really fit in among his fellow soldiers and longs for home and the girlfriend he left behind. He encounters a precocious young boy named Proffy (Ido Port), who fancies himself a crusader for Israeli independence. He sees that Proffy, who has never connected with his father, needs a male influence and befriends him.

The friendship proves tricky for them both, as Dunlop's fellow soldiers are weary of the boy, and Proffy's friends end up seeing him as a traitor for befriending Dunlop. Dunlop and Proffy each grows through the adversity they face and end up stronger for it.

Molina is really fabulous in this classy, warm coming of age tale. Some might see it as a niche film for Jewish audiences only, but it tells an extremely universal story that I think would play well with anyone.