Beaufort (2007)

Director:

Joseph Cedar

Writers:

Joseph Cedar (writer)
Ron Leshem (novel) (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

The story of a group of Israeli soldiers stationed in an outpost prior to the withdrawal of forces of 2000.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Israel | Lebanon | Middle East Conflict | One Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Alon Abutbul	...	Kimchy
Alon Ben David
Daniel Brook	...	Pavel
Oshri Cohen	...	Liraz
Eli Eltonyo	...	Oshry
Gal Friedman	...	Balis
Nevo Kimchi	...	Avishai
Ohad Knoller	...	Ziv
Gidéon Levi
Arthur Perzev	...	Shpitzer
Ygal Resnik	...	Rubi
Itay Schor	...	Emilio
Zohar Shtrauss
Itay Tiran	...	Koris
Itay Turgeman	...	Zitlawy
Ami Weinberg	...	Amox Faran
Hanan Yishai	...	Nadav
Danny Zahavi	...	Meir

Also Known As:

Bufor (Israel: Hebrew title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Sweden:11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

Nimrud Castle, Golan Heights, Israel

Company:

Keshet Broadcasting

Trivia:

Israel's official submission in the Foreign Language Film category for the 80th Academy Awards (2008). It was submitted after Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (2007) was disqualified by AMPAS (see Trivia there).

Quotes:

Shpitzer: [while playing electric keyboard and singing a song in memory of Zitlawy] # I won't be afraid to fall / Won't be afraid to grow / To sink or swim / To live or die #

Movie Connections:

Featured in Historia Shel Hakolnoah Israeli (2009)

Beaufort, Israeli genius at the International Film Festival 2007

This film has just been aired on the Copenhagen International Film Festival and of all the Israeli films available, this was the one I was - not - going to see, and yet I did.

It is still only a few days, since I saw it, but the images return and the sheer originality in terms of being a 'war movie' coupled with the usual Jewish genius of making a point: in short comment, dry humor, body language, tone of voice, well chosen repetition i.e. the monotonous, almost dead, tone over a loudspeaker from the lookouts stationed to warn against 'incoming, incoming' missiles, which after explosion were commented on by,'impact, impact'.

After the third or fourth of these 'scenes' I suddenly felt a wave of claustrophobia and fear, which these young Israeli soldiers must have felt being stuck on a mountain top, without a visual enemy, and only lookouts to rely on for their own lives and safety, 'incoming, incoming' - crash, bang -'impact, impact' - it was unnerving.

This film is a must for anyone - also those who like me, are not war buffs, because it is not about war. It is about a lot of things. Reality, how to handle anxiety, frustration, loss, grief, in a tight and stuck environment, with no relief in sight, (Israel itself?) It is about individuality in terms of different personalities, backgrounds, political opinions who have to make it work and who do in their own humorous, gentle, aggressive, accepting way. It is about men and a male attitude which I have not witnessed for over thirty years,(and sorely missed); the honesty and humanity of men, and it is about exile.

The one lifeline to the home country; a dirt road, has been blocked by a strange explosive device for about a month, and this is where the film starts, with the bomb squad arriving at the outpost, to identify and disarm the device, so that the outpost can receive supplies once again...and a whole 'different' story is touched upon.

I could go on for hours about this film, and not in a very logical way, since all the 'points' haven't been connected yet, it has so many layers. This what I call genius - 'layering' and this is what I look for in Israeli film and this year it was Beaufort, who delivered. Go and see it.