מלחמת יום הכיפורים‎

Yom Kippur is one of, if not the holiest Jewish holiday. From what I hear, in Israel, the whole country shuts down - no retail, no public transportation, no television broadcasts, noone drives, noone flies. I've seen temple attendance quadruple here in the states as the secular Jews swarm in for the all important day of attonement.

Given that, the Yom Kippur War, the war in which Syria and Egypt picked Yom Kippur as the day to launch an offensive against Israel, was particularly low and disgusting. But not at all surprising.

I was curious about the Yom Kippur War because I knew little of it and my family who lived through it don't talk about it. So I rented Kippur for that reason, thinking the Amos Gitai-led and all-Israeli production would give a realistic protrayal. I'm not sure that I got that but I still enjoyed the film.

I think Kippur is a misunderstood film. There is relatively little action, relatively little dialogue and the plot is not elaborate. Basically, for two hours, we follow two medics who drive straight up to the front lines in a Fiat, pick a few soldiers up, then come home. There are no Hollywood heroics, no dramatic rescues and death is kept at a commonplace activity, right along side brushing your teeth.

This seems to be the message Amos Gitai was sending. War is not glamorous; there is no slick soundtrack and often dramatic rescues and narrow escapes exist only at the box office. He seemed to point a finger or two and the mechanical nature of war, its predictability, its ultimate uselessness and how despite it's recurrence, it still garners no more respect today than it did 1000's of years ago.

I see Gitai's point. And even if I don't agree with it entirely, I can certainly respect his ability to get his point across in a constructive way.

Now, if someone could explain the opening/closing sequences of love making in paint, I would really appreciate it! :)



Kippur
8.5/10