This remarkable film from Israel is not only a memorial to the Berlin Jew Mira Ben-Ari (1926-1948), but also to Kibbutz Nitzamin. Director Avi Nesher not only tells a story from the Israeli War of Independence from 1947 to 1949, but also creates a treatise on the "image of victory" we create and the reasons for this.
It tells the story of life in Kibbutz Nitzamin, where Jews from all over the world live, work, and even fight to defend themselves against their hostile neighbors. The film focuses on the young Mira (fabulous: Joy Rieger), a Berlin Jew who came to Palestine at the age of seven. Married to Elyakim (Elisha Banai), she has a young son named Dani, but as a radio operator, she is very keen on her independence. The small community is constantly in danger, surrounded by hostile neighbors who, under the leadership of Commander Khalif (Ala DAKKA), constantly fire shots at Nitzamin. After Israel's declaration of independence in May 1948, the hostilities escalate. Cairo film critic Hassanin (Amir Khoury) is tasked with documenting this situation. Through propaganda footage for the Egyptian army, he is given the opportunity to capture the events of the war on film, like his great role model Frank Capra. But when the Egyptian army is forced to make its embarrassing retreat, at least Kibbutz Nitzamin is to be wiped out in order to present an "image of victory" to the newsreel audience in Cairo.
In addition to Mira and her family, this film focuses on other kibbutz residents who come from different corners of the world and must find common ground, especially linguistically. As a Berliner, Mira still has the latest Marlene Dietrich record brought to her and enjoys speaking German with other kibbutz residents who have escaped from Berlin. Hadassa (Meshi KLEINSTEIN), for example, comes from Argentina and has to struggle to adjust to the harsh and, above all, tango-abstinent life in the desert. The dashing Avraham Schwartzstein (Yadin GELLMAN), as the kibbutz commander, is a typical representative of Ashkenazi Jews from Europe.
A truly remarkable film, which is also artistically convincing! The fight scenes aren't always successful, but this is also due to the low budget that films from a "small" country like Israel can have. The Israeli Film Academy's film award is called OPHIR and has been awarded since the 1990s. In addition to director Avi NESHER, four actors also received an OPHIR nomination in 2021: Joy RIEGER, Amir KHOURY (known from the second season of the top Israeli series FAUDA), Meshi KLEINSTEIN, and Ala DAKKA (known from the third season of FAUDA). For the brilliant Ala DAKKA, this was already his second OPHIR nomination after THE COUSIN (2017). A third should follow in 2023 for THE MONKEY HOUSE.
