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Film Search
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Foxtrot
Drama
It’s virtually impossible to imagine from the first 20 minutes of writer/director Samuel Maoz’s drama where it will ultimately go—and that’s what makes it so uniquely thrilling. The story opens with a “regret to inform” visit from Israeli Army officers to the home of Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) and Daphna Feldman (Sarah Adler), informing them that their son, Jonathan, has been killed in action. The first act seems to be turning into a compelling study of unexpressed male grief, pivoting on the military rabbi’s comment to Michael that he has to support his wife because “after all, we’re men.” Then, there’s a shift, including a new focus on Checkpoint Foxtrot where Jonathan (Yonathan Shiray) is stationed. And suddenly this story of grief becomes a story of guilt, as Maoz often employs a God’s-eye-view camera perspective to emphasize a sense of characters being judged from on high. Then it shifts again, adding additional force to both of those key thematic ideas. If Maoz gets a little cutesy with literalizing the title of his movie, he earns some leeway with a mix of bold visuals and even bolder storytelling.
Official Site: sonyclassics.com/foxtrot
Director: Samuel Maoz
Producer: Michael Weber, Viola Fügen, Eitan Mansuri, Cédomir Kolar, Marc Baschet and Michel Merkt
Cast: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin, Shaul Amir, Itay Exlroad, Danny Isserles, Itamar Rotschild, Roi Miller, Yehuda Almagor, Shira Haas and Karin Ugowski
Director: Samuel Maoz
Producer: Michael Weber, Viola Fügen, Eitan Mansuri, Cédomir Kolar, Marc Baschet and Michel Merkt
Cast: Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin, Shaul Amir, Itay Exlroad, Danny Isserles, Itamar Rotschild, Roi Miller, Yehuda Almagor, Shira Haas and Karin Ugowski
