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Karov La Bayit

Director: Vidi Bilu and Dalia Hager
Israel 2006 90mins
Language: Hebrew with English subtitles

Rebellious and outgoing Smadar can’t stand some of the people in her IDF unit. Mirit, introverted and frightened, keeps away from the likes of Smadar. But the two are thrown together as they are assigned to a patrol in Jerusalem as part of their compulsory military service. Their job is to stop Palestinian passersby, to ask for their identity cards, and to write down their details on special forms. However, the two young girls are immersed in the details of their own lives – their romantic crushes, their breakups, and the multifacetedrelationship evolving between the two of them. Then one day, Jerusalem’s political reality is forced upon them.
“As women who live in Israel, we nourish the military myth like every other citizen of the country. We live alongside the fighting male figures; we fulfill the roles of mothers, wives, girlfriends and military comrades…Renouncing this pattern is perceived as betrayal.However, as we do not actually operate from within the myth but rather alongside it, we can question the relevancy of the military service to our own lives.”

Film Directors Dalia Hager and Vidi Bilu “Highly accessible pic, which mixes humor, tragedy, tenderness and political acumen into a well-observed coming-of-age format.” Variety  Close Reviews