Désengagement

In Avignon, Ana (Juliette Binoche) is a flighty woman estranged from her husband. Her father lies in state. She's overjoyed when her adopted brother Uli joins her at the funeral. They try to forge their father's will. The attorney dismisses their forgery and produces the real will. It states that Ana must reconnect with her daughter whom she abandoned in a Gaza kibbutz as a teenager. She arrives just as the authorities are schedule to take down the Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.

First, it takes a long time for the drama to start. It's not until the reading of the will after forty minutes that the drama really gets going. Before that, it's a slow meandering story. It's also a weird way to get at the Gaza issue. It seems a side entry into this important issue. Once there, it does some interesting things.

The excellent Israeli director Amos Gitai has used this time a script to provide a vehicle for great names like Juliette Biboche, Barbara Hendricks, Jeanne Moreau, but has little to do with any real situation. An Israeli policeman travels to Avignon to attend the funeral of his stepfather. He sleeps on the street amid the homeless but wears a suit for the funeral! His beautiful step sister Ana who has not seen her daughter since early childhood and has not kept any contact with her, discovers that the daughter lives in a settlement in Gaza. Quite strange, the late father of Ana did visit his granddaughter occasionally! Instantly Ana travels to Gaza, succeeds to penetrate the sealed-off territory from which religious settlers were to be evacuated and wanders amid these settlers until she founds her daughter. The film has some beautifully filmed moments depicting the confusion, religious frenzy of settlers and cold blood of the policemen involved, but otherwise is very close to the usually sold kitch.

Will be honest off the bat about not caring for any of the films in Amos Gitai's "Border Trilogy" (the other two being 2004's 'Promised Land' and 2005's 'Free Zone'), seeing them mainly because they had interesting subjects and performers (Rosamund Pike, Natalie Portman and Juliette Binoche primarily) responsible for some great work.

That being said, all three films have their merits but also a lot of faults. All three are examples of films that dealt with heavy, sensitive and brave subjects but could have done much more with them and handled them more compellingly and tactfully. Of the three, 2007's 'Disengagement' may be the best, being by far the best-looking and having a few moving, emotionally impactful moments that the other two lacked. Mostly though, the execution was wanting and it mostly left me disengaged.

'Disengagement' does have good things. As said, it is the best-looking of the trilogy, which is saying a lot seeing as 'Free Zone' in particular was visual chaos. There were however some beautiful images here and also some harrowing ones that will stay with me for a while. The scenery again is atmospheric and evocative. Again, another attraction is the soundtrack. Not only is it very well-composed and full of atmosphere and sheer beauty, it really adds and even enhances the mood, giving an emotional wallop.

Considering what they were given, the actors do a good job. Particularly Hiam Abbass on movingly dignified form and Jeanne Moreau. Operatic soprano Barbara Hendricks also impresses. Like 'Promised Land', the opening scene of 'Disengagement' was very promising, but the highlight story-wise is the poignant last 15-20 minutes.

However, despite the great opening and ending the film in between is messy. 'Disengagement' is never as distasteful or gratuitously salacious as 'Promised Land' or as preachy and confusing as 'Free Zone', but a lot of it is long-winded and dull. Particularly the first half which often goes nowhere, goes on for much too long and relies on the interaction of the actors which is not always very natural. The Gaza scenes are a little less drawn out, but are hardly illuminating or insightful and get heavy-handed and far too one-sided. It can be hard to follow too and feels very disorganised, as well as the two halves being far too much of a disconnect to each other (having little to no relevance to each other), but doesn't feel incomplete like 'Free Zone' did.

Script-wise, 'Disengagement' is very stilted, rambling and is one of the most bizarre for any film seen by me for a while. The character development is mostly very flimsy and extraneous, as aimless as the film's first half. There are exceptions to the acting, Binoche herself and Leron Levo, she trying too hard and he not enough. Once again, Gitai directs in a way that is suggestive of the concept of subtlety being completely alien to him.

In conclusion, some good things and the best of "The Border Trilogy" but mostly left me disengaged. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Maybe it's fashionable for people to listen to paint drying whilst off their heads on cocaine these days; it's the only reason I could think that would make this movie even tolerable. Boring disconnected dialogues, focussing on the irrelevant whilst skimming through what should be important plot elements (for the little plot that there actually is).

In a nutshell, this movie is the visual equivalent of really bad elevator music - something that leaves you feeling like your senses and your time have, wondering how you allowed yourself to be exposed to it.

Saw this on cable and it caught all of our attention immediately. The raw emotion of it will not let you stop watching it. You cannot help but put yourself into the plight(s) of this movie. I would recommend watching it if you are at all curious. Juliette is always captivating and very much so in this film. You get to see things in Israel how they happened with the plight of the settlers and the inside police view. It is a different perspective to present since it is kind of an inside view of the circumstances. This movie is OK for kids and adults to view in our opinion. It may bore the kids though... Some of this is subtitled and some is in English. Enough of English so that it keep our families attention since subtitled doesn't seem to go over.