The Vanishing Soldier

I watched this film in London at a film festival without knowing much about the subject matter. I was hugely impressed by the acting, the directing, the cinematography and the energy and pace of the film.

The country is living in a chaotic time and the young man at the centre of the story is trying to make some sense of the craziness of the period. He is young, he is in love, he wants to dream of a future but all around him is war. The clever shooting style perfectly connected with the young man's frenetic journey. I wish all the young talent associated with this film success - they deserve it!

Due to a misunderstanding and a moment of carelessness, 18-year-old Shlomi (Ido TAKO) is separated from his IDF unit in the Gaza Strip and promptly takes off. He is already longing for his girlfriend Shiri (Mika REISS) in Tel Aviv, who is about to leave for her year abroad in Canada. Since he is soon missed by the army, Shlomi has to hide himself more and more. This remarkable film by Dani ROSENBERG (OPHIR 2023: Nominated for Best Director) chronicles everything he experiences on a very special day in Tel Aviv. When the army finally suspects that Shlomi has been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, events come to a particularly acute conclusion.

Dani ROSENBERG's film presents a striking portrait of a very young man who is completely overwhelmed by the demands placed on him as a soldier. Essentially still a child, he is confronted with life and death, strutting across the beach and through Tel Aviv's nightlife district with his army weapon.

The young actor Ido TAKO was rightly nominated for the 2023 Israeli Film Award OPHIR for this film. Efrat BEN-ZUR, who plays Shlomi's mother, also received an OPHIR nomination. This film impressively demonstrates the impact a "heroic" society like Israel's, which is constantly at war, has on the young people who have to serve in the army.

The combination of dramatic events and slapstick elements is very unusual. Whenever the French tourist couple Shlomi met on the beach appears, it becomes bizarrely funny. At the same time, however, it is always clear how dramatically Shlomi's decision also affects the lives of other people. A striking scene when Shlomi wants to buy a drink at a convenience store demonstrates how much this has become a part of everyday life in Israel.

Impressive!

Watched the movie at Thessaloniki Film Festival I enjoyed the Vanishing Soldier - The direction is pacey, the main character likeable and it gives a glimpe of daily life in today's Israel that is even more timely at this time (Fall 2023), after the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However I have to say I enjoyed it despite its flaws, which lie mostly in the script. A script that tries to balance betweem drama and screwball comedy at times and in the end cannot find the right analogy. There are too many comic substories which push crediblity at a point where it makes it improbable, without really adding anything. In the end it feels a bit like "American Pie and the Israeli army."

This is a brilliant film about the challenges that Israel (the only democracy in the Middle East and the ancestral land of the Jewish people) faces since its (re)birth. The film has an outstanding cast: Ido Tako's performance is absolutely superb, and Efrat Ben Tzur's (who plays Shlomi's mother) is also breathtaking. The director (Dani Rosenberg) succeeds in making a brilliant film that illustrates the reality of many young people in Israel (pre-October you know the number). The film is unpredictable and the director manages to keep the audience in suspense during all the film. Bravo. The music is also gorgeous. A must-see masterpiece. 10/10. Am Israel chai.