Karov La Bayit

Imagine living in a world where the bus you are riding on could, at any given moment, detonate into a fiery deathtrap in a deliberate act of mass murder, or the café you are sitting at be rocked to its very foundations by a well-placed briefcase filled with explosives. How would living in so perpetual a state of high alert affect the things you did, the places you went to, the people you saw? And how would such an environment determine the structure of the society itself, the laws it proscribed and the way in which it treated its people? And could terrorism itself become such a commonplace and familiar fact of everyday life that even it might lose the ability to shock and horrify the very people closest to it?

Finding the means of successfully combating terrorism has, of course, become a life-or-death necessity for the people of Israel. One of their responses to the threat has been to instigate mandatory military service for all their young people. Another has been to subject Arabs to legal random searches - simply for being Arabs. In the Israeli film, "Close to Home," Smadar and Mirit are two young Army officers whose job it is to check the ID's of anyone in their assigned area who happens to look like a Palestinian. Possibly because they have grown up with terrorism as a regular part of their lives, these girls seem to have developed a strange immunity to its effects, for neither seems overly impressed with the seriousness of the job they are doing - although, of the two, Mirit is a little more concerned about what might happen to them were they found to be in any way derelict in their duties. Smadar and Mirit are not exactly natural buddies, but, over time, they develop a certain tenuous closeness that seems sure to blossom into a full-fledged friendship by the end of the story. Or will it?

"Close to Home" is more of a naturalistic study of the day-to-day lives of these two women than it is a heavily plotted narrative. Most of the film is spent chronicling their interactions with their military superiors, the random people they are forced to interrogate, and, most importantly, each other. Smadar Sayar and Neama Shendar create believable, memorable characters who perform their task more out of a sense of duty than a fiery love of country. It's only when an explosion hits a little too close to home that they are, at least momentarily, shaken out of their lethargy. But even that doesn't last for long, as the girls begin to slack off at their jobs once again, with Smadar becoming an ever more potentially corrupting influence on the decidedly less rebellious Mirit.

If the filmmakers, Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hager, have a political point to make, it is well hidden beneath the deceptively casual surface of the girls' relationship. For this is, first and foremost, a story about Smadar and Neama, about two Israeli youngsters who, despite the extraordinary conditions under which they are forced to live, are basically interested in the same things that preoccupy young people the world over: moving away from home, pursuing romantic interests, deciding on hairstyles and fashions. If anything, the filmmakers seem to be saying that it really isn't possible for the human mind to exist in a state of constant readiness no matter how great the threat, that eventually the concerns of common everyday life will rise to the surface and crowd most everything else out. Bilu and Hager clearly acknowledge the reality of the terrorist threat, but they also know that a life ruled by fear is no life at all.

In a subtle but persuasive way, the movie also raises the extremely touchy question of just how far a nation should go in abrogating the civil liberties of any single group in exchange for increased safety. It is an issue Israel has been dealing throughout its entire existence, and the movie makers clearly acknowledge that there is no simple solution to that conundrum - a conundrum that has, unfortunately, become increasingly relevant beyond the limits of the Israeli border.

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.

Or Close to Home as the international title goes is a film that tells the story of two young girls in the Israelian army. Their job: checking the identities of people on the street. One somewhat wild, really not wanting the job. One introverted and more eager to do her tasks. So far the setting of this film.

As a film this one works out rather well. The constant grim presence of danger ((suicide) terrorism) is clearly radiating from every scene. The two play convincingly enough to make the roles come alive and even though the pace of the film is rather low it stays interesting all the way through. There's always something going on, how small and insignificant it may be.

Visual effects used are down to Earth and with that a really good match with the general setting of the film. Choice of music has been done equally well and that makes for a very well worked out combination.

All in all a very enjoyable watch, if a little depressing.

8 out of 10 bored soldiers

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.

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.