Frozen Days is a fascinating and mind-bending film from Israel by Director/Writer Danny Lerner that has rarely been seen over the years- especially here in America. It has many influences but still remains unique in its own right. It's the type of film whose closing images haunt you long after the movie is over.
Anat Klausner stars in her first film as a wandering Acid drug dealer who walks and works the streets of Tel Aviv at night. She is lonely and manages to connect with a man on a dating chat. After a brief introduction, they set up a meeting at a nightclub- which doubles as her workplace. She takes a trip herself and for a brief moment, feels ecstasy. A suicide bomber sets off an explosion in the club soon after, and then the film takes a bizarre turn- which sends her to a state of paranoia and Deja Vu which blurs the narrative between reality and fantasy. She assumes the identity of the man she believes is a victim of the explosion- now bandaged and comatose. A nightmare ensues where she sees previous events repeated and she desperately wants it to end and eventually, it does. No spoilers here. The journey reminds me of a mixture of Polanski's "The Tenant", Adrian Lyne's "Jacobs Ladder" and in a stretch, "Carnival of Souls". You get the idea.
The film is shot on a digital video format in black and white, with very bizarre- John Frankenheimer type disorientating claustrophobic closeups, where spatial proportions are affirmed and later averted creating ominous vibes. The soundtrack is minimal- piano keys which further heightens her state of disassociation. Although some dislike the ending, it worked for me. We realize the 2nd half of the film comes from the mind of the drug induced catatonic state of one of the characters. The film was both disturbing and fascinating and might leave room for alternate interpretations. One that occurred to me was that of a possible Transgender nightmare, but that might be a reach.
But there's more. In the previous 5 years before this film was made, there were an incredible 131 Suicide bombings in Israel, mostly by Hamas. The level of ubiquitous attacks created a climate where disassociation, loneliness, paranoia, and feelings of alienation was more the norm than an aberration- thus the nightmare of this film is very much a metaphor and reflection of what all citizens experience- PTSD caused by a myriad of factors of living under such conditions
I highly recommend this film. Considering this is a first-time filmmaker and actress debut, with non-actors and virtually no budget- it's quite impressive.
